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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: spell · pit · bowl · foot · leaves · bat · cap · lash

  1. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. pit — in a race
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. spell — a short time
  9. spell — letters
  10. cap — of ice
  11. spell — magic
  12. pit — a hole
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. bat — the animal
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. foot — a measure
  18. cap — a hat
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. cap — a lid
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. bat — for baseball

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