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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 120 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: ball · suit · face · lash · pitcher · bear · kid · arm

  1. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  4. When will it ________________ you to start?
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  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. pitcher — a jug
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. suit — in cards
  4. suit — to fit
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. ball — a dance
  9. suit — clothes
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. kid — child
  12. bear — the animal
  13. kid — to tease
  14. face — to confront
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. face — to point toward
  21. bear — the animal
  22. face — part of the head
  23. ball — a great time
  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