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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: lash · scale · face · shower · race · wind · sharp · club

  1. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — an eyelash
  2. race — the arms race
  3. face — part of the head
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. race — humankind
  6. sharp — clever
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. club — a group
  10. scale — size or range
  11. shower — to wash
  12. wind — moving air
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. face — to confront
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. wind — moving air
  18. club — for dancing
  19. race — a contest
  20. shower — rain
  21. scale — in music
  22. face — to point toward
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. club — for golf

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