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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 116 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 · race · squash · cap · capital · press · bat · ball

  1. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. press — to push
  3. squash — the sport
  4. press — newspapers
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. capital — a city
  7. bat — the animal
  8. cap — of ice
  9. ball — a dance
  10. cap — a hat
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. capital — money
  14. ball — a great time
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. squash — to crush
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. press — a publisher
  19. race — the arms race
  20. cap — a lid
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. race — a contest

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