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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 · march · fall · nail · arm · wind · ground · pitch

  1. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. ground — a position
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. march — the month
  11. fall — the season
  12. ground — crushed
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. fall — to drop
  16. ground — the earth
  17. fall — to drop
  18. pitch — completely
  19. wind — moving air
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. march — the month
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. march — music
  24. wind — moving air

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