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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: cap · mug · rock · kid · bat · pitcher · toast · lash

  1. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. kid — to tease
  4. rock — a stone
  5. mug — a cup
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. mug — to rob
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. rock — music
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. toast — a drink to someone
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. toast — the most admired
  16. kid — child
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. toast — bread
  19. mug — a face
  20. cap — a lid
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. cap — a hat
  24. bat — the animal

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