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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: cabinet · bat · game · shower · snap · cap · temple · lash

  1. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. temple — side of the head
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. cap — of ice
  6. game — a match
  7. shower — to wash
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. bat — the animal
  12. cap — a hat
  13. snap — to click
  14. shower — rain
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. game — wild animals
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. cap — a lid

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