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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: fine · nail · lash · pitch · rock · race · row · clip

  1. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. fine — all right
  9. row — to paddle
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. fine — high quality
  13. race — the arms race
  14. pitch — completely
  15. clip — for paper
  16. rock — music
  17. race — a contest
  18. race — humankind
  19. clip — a video
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. rock — a stone
  23. clip — to cut
  24. row — a line

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