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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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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: saw · bat · lash · capital · rock · chest · object · bowl

  1. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. chest — of your body
  3. saw — the tool
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. rock — music
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. object — an aim
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. saw — the tool
  13. object — a thing
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. object — to protest
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. chest — a box
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. rock — a stone
  21. capital — a city
  22. chest — of your body
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. capital — money

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