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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: key · season · pitch · lash · fine · band · pitcher · race

  1. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. key — in music
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. race — the arms race
  10. band — a ring
  11. key — for a lock
  12. fine — high quality
  13. pitch — completely
  14. key — the most important part
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. race — humankind
  18. fine — all right
  19. band — a music group
  20. race — a contest
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. season — of the year
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. season — in sport

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com