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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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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: lash · row · bay · trunk · bat · ball · stick · march

  1. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. My mare is ________________ in color.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. march — the month
  3. march — music
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. bat — the animal
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. ball — a dance
  9. bay — to keep at bay
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. ball — a great time
  14. bay — a horse colour
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. row — to paddle
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. march — the month
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. row — a line

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