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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: rest · squash · kid · capital · lash · bank · mark · game

  1. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. squash — to crush
  3. capital — money
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. squash — the sport
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. bank — for money
  10. game — wild animals
  11. mark — a grade
  12. kid — child
  13. rest — what's left
  14. mark — a trace
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. rest — what's left
  17. kid — to tease
  18. bank — of a river
  19. game — a match
  20. capital — a city
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. bank — for money
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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