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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: kick · lash · fine · file · vault · pitcher · scale · last

  1. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. last — final
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. fine — all right
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. last — finally
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. scale — size or range
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. file — a document
  15. fine — high quality
  16. vault — a safe
  17. file — a line of people
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. kick — in football
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. last — to go on
  23. scale — in music
  24. file — a tool

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