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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: lash · rock · mine · fan · rule · pitch · mate · bat

  1. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. bat — the animal
  4. mate — to breed
  5. rule — a law
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. mate — a friend
  8. mate — a partner
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. pitch — completely
  11. rock — music
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. mine — for digging
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. rock — a stone
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. fan — to cool the air

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