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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 120 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: lash · bat · leaves · bear · kick · scale · game · cap

  1. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. kick — in football
  3. scale — size or range
  4. bat — the animal
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. cap — a hat
  7. cap — a lid
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. game — a match
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. scale — in music
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. game — wild animals
  20. bear — the animal
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. bear — the animal
  24. cap — of ice

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