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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: land · cap · bay · stand · lash · chest · mate · swing

  1. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. My mare is ________________ in color.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. chest — of your body
  3. bay — to keep at bay
  4. land — to come down
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. land — a country
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. cap — of ice
  10. cap — a lid
  11. stand — to bear
  12. swing — music
  13. swing — in golf
  14. chest — of your body
  15. cap — a hat
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. mate — to breed
  18. swing — to play on
  19. mate — a partner
  20. mate — a friend
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. bay — a horse colour
  23. chest — a box
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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