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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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: leaves · stand · ball · game · date · spell · hand · lash

  1. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. Have you settled on a ________________?
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. ball — a great time
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. spell — letters
  6. stand — on your feet
  7. hand — help
  8. game — wild animals
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. hand — in cards
  14. stand — to bear
  15. game — a match
  16. date — the fruit
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. spell — magic
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. spell — a short time
  24. ball — a dance

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