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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. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. scale — in music
  4. wind — moving air
  5. wind — moving air
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. bat — the animal
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. scale — size or range
  13. rule — government
  14. rule — a law
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. rash — hasty
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. ball — a great time
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. rash — a series
  24. rule — to rule out

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