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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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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. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. sharp — clever
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. tube — a container
  6. tube — the underground
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. tear — to rip
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. tear — from crying
  12. ball — a great time
  13. chair — a leader
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. tear — from crying
  16. court — of law
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. stand — to bear
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. court — of a king
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. court — for sport

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