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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: scale · rash · bat · lash · bay · file · hide · capital

  1. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  10. My mare is ________________ in color.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. capital — a city
  4. bay — a part of the sea
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. capital — money
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. scale — in music
  9. bay — to keep at bay
  10. bay — a horse colour
  11. bat — the animal
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. scale — size or range
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. file — a document
  18. file — a line of people
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. rash — a series
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. file — a tool
  24. rash — hasty

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