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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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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: capital · bulb · cell · racket · arm · rest · lash · ball

  1. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. capital — money
  5. ball — a great time
  6. bulb — for light
  7. rest — what's left
  8. ball — a dance
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. cell — a phone
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. rest — what's left
  15. capital — a city
  16. bulb — for light
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. rest — a break
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. cell — in biology
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. capital — a big letter

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