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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: pitcher · lean · ball · stock · sharp · mate · spell · lash

  1. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. mate — a partner
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. ball — a great time
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. ball — a dance
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. spell — a short time
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. spell — magic
  11. stock — shares
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. lean — thin
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. lean — to bend
  17. sharp — clever
  18. spell — letters
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. mate — a friend
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. stock — goods
  23. mate — to breed
  24. lean — to rest against

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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