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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.

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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: fork · lash · pitch · rest · spell · hand · firm · rash

  1. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. rest — what's left
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. firm — a company
  8. spell — magic
  9. rash — hasty
  10. firm — steady
  11. rest — a break
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. firm — decided
  14. rest — what's left
  15. hand — in cards
  16. pitch — completely
  17. rash — a series
  18. fork — in a road
  19. hand — help
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. spell — a short time
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. spell — letters
  24. hand — part of the body

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