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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: pit · pitcher · net · roll · squash · lash · toast · pop

  1. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  7. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. roll — a cake
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. net — in sport
  5. pit — a hole
  6. toast — a drink to someone
  7. toast — the most admired
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. pit — in a race
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. pop — music
  12. squash — the sport
  13. net — for catching
  14. pop — to visit
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. net — after costs
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. squash — to crush
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. pop — soda
  22. toast — bread
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. roll — a list

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