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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: hide · mug · kid · bat · bulb · bay · lash · track

  1. The light ________________ burned out.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. My mare is ________________ in color.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. kid — to tease
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. bat — the animal
  8. track — a song
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. kid — child
  11. mug — a face
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. bay — a horse colour
  14. mug — to rob
  15. track — a path
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. bulb — for light
  19. mug — a cup
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. track — to keep track

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