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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 120 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: lash · cabinet · drill · bat · last · kick · staff · dip

  1. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. kick — in football
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. bat — the animal
  6. dip — to sink
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. drill — the tool
  10. drill — a practice
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. staff — employees
  16. staff — a stick
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. last — finally
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. drill — army training
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. staff — employees
  23. last — to go on
  24. kick — with a leg

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