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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: chair · tube · scale · cap · squash · lash · bay · bat

  1. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. My mare is ________________ in color.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. bay — a part of the sea
  3. scale — in music
  4. tube — a container
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. squash — the sport
  10. chair — a leader
  11. cap — a hat
  12. cap — a lid
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. bay — a horse colour
  18. tube — the underground
  19. scale — size or range
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. bat — the animal
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. cap — of ice
  24. tube — in a tire

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