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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 · wind · mate · pitch · tube · chair · shower · foot

  1. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. shower — rain
  4. tube — a container
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. wind — moving air
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. wind — moving air
  12. shower — to wash
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. pitch — completely
  15. foot — a measure
  16. mate — a partner
  17. tube — the underground
  18. chair — a leader
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. mate — to breed
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. mate — a friend
  24. tube — in a tire

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