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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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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: lash · net · leaves · ball · perch · drill · firm · race

  1. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. ball — a great time
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. net — in sport
  5. ball — a dance
  6. net — for catching
  7. perch — the fish
  8. firm — a company
  9. drill — army training
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. race — a contest
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. drill — a practice
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. firm — steady
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. net — after costs
  18. drill — the tool
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. race — the arms race
  21. race — humankind
  22. firm — decided
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. perch — for a bird

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