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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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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 · mate · swing · rush · bowl · lash · chair · rest

  1. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. cap — of ice
  3. cap — a lid
  4. rest — a break
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. mate — a friend
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. swing — to play on
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. mate — a partner
  11. swing — in golf
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. swing — music
  14. cap — a hat
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. mate — to breed
  17. chair — a leader
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. rest — what's left
  20. rush — hurry
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. rush — a thrill

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