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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 116 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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. court — for sport
  3. court — of a king
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. row — to paddle
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. march — the month
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. row — a line
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. ball — a great time
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. march — the month
  14. court — of law
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. march — music
  18. lash — an eyelash

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