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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 · deal · capital · hand · cabinet · bat · fall · lash

  1. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. capital — a city
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. bat — the animal
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. capital — money
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. deal — to handle
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. fall — to drop
  20. fall — the season
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. hand — help
  24. fall — to drop

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