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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: club · lash · mark · spell · stick · bass · bat · cap

  1. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. club — a group
  4. club — for golf
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. cap — a hat
  7. spell — a short time
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. mark — a trace
  10. spell — magic
  11. cap — a lid
  12. bass — the fish
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. bat — the animal
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. mark — a grade
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. spell — letters
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. bass — low music
  23. club — for dancing
  24. bat — for baseball

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