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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 120 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: tube · pitch · lie · perch · lash · swing · racket · wind

  1. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. pitch — completely
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. swing — in golf
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. wind — moving air
  13. wind — moving air
  14. perch — the fish
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. lie — to recline
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. swing — music
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. swing — to play on
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. tube — a container
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. tube — in a tire

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