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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: wound · pitch · fork · lash · deal · fall · rule · bound

  1. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. fall — to drop
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. deal — to handle
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. pitch — completely
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. fall — the season
  9. fork — in a road
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. bound — tied together
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. fall — to drop
  17. rule — a law
  18. bound — obliged
  19. bound — certain
  20. wound — an injury
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. rule — government
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. fork — a garden tool

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