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

Word bank: game · capital · rash · bowl · saw · lash · snap · pit

  1. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. saw — the tool
  4. pit — a hole
  5. rash — hasty
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. rash — a series
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. saw — the tool
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. game — wild animals
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. capital — a city
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. pit — in a race
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. game — a match
  21. snap — to click
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. capital — money
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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