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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: bat · staff · hide · mate · spell · stand · lash · kid

  1. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. I can't ________________ this cold.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. spell — letters
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. spell — magic
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. kid — child
  9. mate — a partner
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. staff — a stick
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. mate — a friend
  14. staff — employees
  15. kid — to tease
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. staff — employees
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. spell — a short time
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. stand — to bear
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. bat — the animal

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