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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: bowl · chest · ball · lean · stick · kid · lash · file

  1. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. file — a line of people
  3. lean — to bend
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. kid — child
  10. file — a tool
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. chest — of your body
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. ball — a dance
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. kid — to tease
  18. ball — a great time
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. file — a document
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. chest — of your body
  24. chest — a box

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