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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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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: bowl · tear · bass · row · pitch · net · lash · dip

  1. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. bass — the fish
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. dip — to sink
  7. row — to paddle
  8. tear — from crying
  9. bass — low music
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. tear — to rip
  12. net — after costs
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. row — a line
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. pitch — completely
  18. net — in sport
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. tear — from crying
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. net — for catching

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