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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: tear · scale · lash · stick · ball · sharp · mate · cell

  1. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. tear — to rip
  5. mate — a partner
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. scale — size or range
  8. mate — a friend
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. tear — from crying
  11. sharp — clever
  12. scale — in music
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. ball — a dance
  15. cell — a phone
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. mate — to breed
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. ball — a great time
  22. tear — from crying
  23. cell — in biology
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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