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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: dip · squash · bat · straw · net · patient · lash · bowl

  1. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. squash — to crush
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. squash — the sport
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. net — for catching
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. net — after costs
  19. dip — to sink
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. net — in sport
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. bat — the animal
  24. patient — a sick person

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