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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 120 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: ruler · lash · cold · mark · ball · nail · row · rest

  1. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. The people resisted their cruel ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. ball — a dance
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. mark — a trace
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. rest — what's left
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. row — a line
  11. row — to paddle
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. cold — not warm
  16. rest — what's left
  17. cold — an illness
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. mark — a grade
  21. rest — a break
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. ruler — a monarch

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