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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 116 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: hand · lash · scale · pitch · drill · mine · rush · last

  1. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. pitch — completely
  3. drill — a practice
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. hand — help
  6. rush — hurry
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. last — to go on
  9. scale — in music
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. last — finally
  12. hand — in cards
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. mine — for digging
  17. scale — size or range
  18. last — final
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. drill — the tool
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. drill — army training

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