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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: lie · content · rock · file · tear · ball · bat · lash

  1. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. file — a tool
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. ball — a dance
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. tear — to rip
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. content — happy
  13. content — the amount
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. file — a document
  17. rock — a stone
  18. rock — music
  19. tear — from crying
  20. lie — to recline
  21. ball — a great time
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. file — a line of people
  24. tear — from crying

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