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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.

Make a worksheet

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: can · lash · charge · bat · game · pit · dip · cold

  1. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. The tickets are free of ________________.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. game — wild animals
  7. dip — to sink
  8. charge — in control
  9. bat — the animal
  10. can — a tin
  11. can — to be able to
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. cold — not warm
  14. can — a tin
  15. pit — a hole
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. charge — electricity
  18. game — a match
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. charge — a price
  22. pit — in a race
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. lash — an eyelash

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