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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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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: last · bat · pound · lash · object · kid · safe · trunk

  1. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — a weight
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. kid — child
  6. safe — a strongbox
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. last — to go on
  12. kid — to tease
  13. bat — the animal
  14. last — final
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. object — to protest
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. last — finally
  21. object — an aim
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. object — a thing

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