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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: squash · pitcher · mate · arm · drill · capital · can · lash

  1. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. drill — the tool
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. capital — money
  5. capital — a city
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. mate — a partner
  8. drill — army training
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. can — a tin
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. mate — a friend
  15. can — to be able to
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. squash — the sport
  18. can — a tin
  19. drill — a practice
  20. squash — to crush
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. mate — to breed
  24. lash — to lash out

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