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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: spell · pitch · lash · mark · fork · bound · band · bat

  1. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. pitch — completely
  8. bound — obliged
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. spell — a short time
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. spell — magic
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. fork — in a road
  15. mark — a grade
  16. bound — tied together
  17. mark — a trace
  18. band — a music group
  19. bound — certain
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. spell — letters
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. bat — the animal
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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