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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: mouse · lash · pitcher · key · bat · rest · capital · bark

  1. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. rest — a break
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. rest — what's left
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. capital — a city
  9. bark — to shout
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. key — in music
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. capital — money
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. key — for a lock
  18. bat — the animal
  19. rest — what's left
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. key — the most important part
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. bark — of a tree

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