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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: lash · can · bat · kid · lie · scale · saw · snap

  1. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. lie — to recline
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. can — a tin
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. kid — to tease
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. scale — in music
  9. kid — child
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. saw — the tool
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. can — a tin
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. bat — the animal
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. can — to be able to
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. snap — to click
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. saw — the tool
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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