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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — an eyelash
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. wound — an injury
  4. saw — the tool
  5. kid — to tease
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. staff — employees
  8. kid — child
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. staff — a stick
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. saw — the tool
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. capital — a city
  16. bat — the animal
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. staff — employees
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. wound — an injury
  24. capital — money

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