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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. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. staff — employees
  4. hand — help
  5. staff — employees
  6. fork — in a road
  7. spring — a coil
  8. chip — for betting
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. spell — a short time
  11. staff — a stick
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. chip — to eat
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. spell — magic
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. spring — the season
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. spring — of water
  20. spell — letters
  21. court — of law
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. hand — in cards
  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