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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: mark · kid · lash · mate · row · fork · plane · bat

  1. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. bat — the animal
  4. mark — a trace
  5. mate — to breed
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. row — a line
  10. row — to paddle
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. mate — a friend
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. kid — to tease
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. mark — a grade
  18. plane — a tool
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. fork — in a road
  22. kid — child
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. mate — a partner

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