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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: pitch · swing · track · lash · band · wound · row · foot

  1. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. pitch — completely
  4. track — a song
  5. band — a music group
  6. swing — music
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. wound — an injury
  9. band — a ring
  10. swing — in golf
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. row — to paddle
  14. track — to keep track
  15. swing — to play on
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. track — a path
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. wound — an injury
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. foot — a measure
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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