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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. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. scale — in music
  4. staff — a stick
  5. cap — a lid
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. scale — size or range
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. bass — low music
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. staff — employees
  14. club — for dancing
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. bat — the animal
  17. club — for golf
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. staff — employees
  21. cap — a hat
  22. bass — the fish
  23. club — a group
  24. cap — of ice

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