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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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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: lash · kid · ground · dip · fork · pitch · file · suit

  1. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. When will it ________________ you to start?
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. ground — crushed
  5. suit — in cards
  6. fork — in a road
  7. pitch — completely
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. suit — to fit
  10. dip — to sink
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. kid — to tease
  13. ground — the earth
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. kid — child
  17. ground — a position
  18. file — a tool
  19. file — a document
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. file — a line of people
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. suit — clothes

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