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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: tear · pop · pitch · jam · coach · lash · last · bat

  1. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  10. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. pop — music
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. last — to go on
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. last — final
  9. jam — a tight spot
  10. jam — to spread on bread
  11. tear — from crying
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. bat — the animal
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. tear — from crying
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. jam — in traffic
  20. pop — to visit
  21. pop — soda
  22. last — finally
  23. pitch — completely
  24. lash — an eyelash

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