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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 120 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: cap · rest · saw · pitch · lash · bat · bound · kick

  1. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — an eyelash
  2. rest — a break
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. bound — certain
  9. saw — the tool
  10. cap — a hat
  11. pitch — completely
  12. rest — what's left
  13. bat — the animal
  14. cap — of ice
  15. bound — tied together
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. cap — a lid
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. saw — the tool
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. kick — in football
  23. rest — what's left
  24. bound — obliged

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