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

Word bank: pound · calf · race · file · lash · kid

  1. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — an eyelash
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. file — a document
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. race — the arms race
  7. file — a tool
  8. file — a line of people
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. pound — a weight
  12. race — a contest
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. race — humankind
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. kid — child
  18. kid — to tease

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