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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 · pound · fork · spell · lash · bass · race · cue

  1. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — for pool
  2. spell — a short time
  3. race — a contest
  4. bass — low music
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. fork — in a road
  9. scale — size or range
  10. spell — letters
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. pound — a weight
  13. cue — a signal
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. race — humankind
  16. cue — a hint
  17. race — the arms race
  18. scale — in music
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. spell — magic
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. bass — the fish
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. pound — to hit hard

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