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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: racket · bat · patient · lash · game · lie · arm · kid

  1. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. kid — to tease
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. bat — the animal
  6. lie — to recline
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. kid — child
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. game — wild animals
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. game — a match
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. lash — to lash out

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