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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. game — a match
  3. rush — hurry
  4. last — final
  5. scale — size or range
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. scale — in music
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. wound — an injury
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. wound — an injury
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. club — a group
  17. game — wild animals
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. last — finally
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. club — for golf
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. club — for dancing
  24. last — to go on

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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