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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: lash · bat · perch · board · kick · capital · spell · suit

  1. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. When will it ________________ you to start?
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. capital — a city
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. suit — to fit
  6. perch — the fish
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. capital — money
  10. bat — the animal
  11. board — to get on
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. suit — clothes
  14. spell — a short time
  15. suit — in cards
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. board — a committee
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. spell — letters
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. spell — magic
  24. lash — an eyelash

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