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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · charge · bowl · chip · plane · cold · lash · rash

  1. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — a tool
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. chip — for betting
  4. charge — a price
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. bat — the animal
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. charge — electricity
  14. rash — a series
  15. cold — an illness
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. rash — hasty
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. chip — to eat
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. charge — in control
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. cold — not warm

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