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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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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 · face · lash · racket · stock · arm · race · roll

  1. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. We're on a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. race — humankind
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. scale — in music
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. race — the arms race
  8. roll — a cake
  9. scale — size or range
  10. roll — a list
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. face — to confront
  14. stock — shares
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. face — part of the head
  18. race — a contest
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. stock — goods
  21. face — to point toward
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. arm — a part of something
  24. roll — on a roll

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