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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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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: bat · court · rash · game · lash · wax · scale · row

  1. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. court — of law
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. rash — hasty
  6. row — a line
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. scale — size or range
  11. court — of a king
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. court — for sport
  14. scale — in music
  15. game — wild animals
  16. game — a match
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. row — to paddle
  19. bat — the animal
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. wax — to grow
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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