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

Word bank: key · lash · kick · staff · face · nail

  1. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. 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. lash — an eyelash
  2. staff — employees
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. key — for a lock
  5. face — part of the head
  6. staff — employees
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. staff — a stick
  12. kick — in football
  13. key — the most important part
  14. face — to confront
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. face — to point toward
  17. key — in music
  18. 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