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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 124 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.

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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: pitch · rest · land · dip · row · lash · hand · drill

  1. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. lash — an eyelash
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. land — to come down
  4. land — a country
  5. pitch — completely
  6. drill — a practice
  7. dip — to sink
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. hand — in cards
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. rest — what's left
  13. row — a line
  14. rest — a break
  15. drill — the tool
  16. row — to paddle
  17. land — ground
  18. rest — what's left
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. drill — army training
  24. hand — help

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