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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: suit · nail · pitch · game · lash · net · spring · chest

  1. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. When will it ________________ you to start?
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. chest — of your body
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. chest — a box
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. net — after costs
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. pitch — completely
  11. suit — to fit
  12. game — wild animals
  13. chest — of your body
  14. spring — the season
  15. net — in sport
  16. suit — in cards
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. net — for catching
  21. suit — clothes
  22. spring — a coil
  23. game — a match
  24. nail — on a finger

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