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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: kid · nail · game · lie · wind · scale · court · lash

  1. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. wind — moving air
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. kid — child
  10. game — a match
  11. kid — to tease
  12. scale — size or range
  13. court — of law
  14. wind — moving air
  15. lie — to recline
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. scale — in music
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. court — for sport
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. court — of a king
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. lie — an untruth

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