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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 116 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: scale · lash · mouse · track · mate · net · cold · wound

  1. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. track — to keep track
  3. track — a song
  4. net — for catching
  5. cold — an illness
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. mate — to breed
  8. track — a path
  9. scale — in music
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. mate — a partner
  13. wound — an injury
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. mate — a friend
  17. scale — size or range
  18. wound — an injury
  19. net — in sport
  20. cold — not warm
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. net — after costs

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