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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 120 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: wind · ruler · sharp · rock · hand · lash · pitcher · racket

  1. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. hand — help
  4. ruler — a monarch
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. rock — music
  7. wind — moving air
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. sharp — clever
  19. rock — a stone
  20. hand — in cards
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. ruler — for measuring

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