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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.

Make a worksheet

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: hand · lash · cold · wound · ball · calf · file · dip

  1. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. dip — to sink
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. ball — a great time
  9. file — a tool
  10. hand — in cards
  11. file — a line of people
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. ball — a dance
  15. hand — help
  16. cold — not warm
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. wound — an injury
  20. cold — an illness
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. wound — an injury
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. file — a document

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