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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 ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. My mare is ________________ in color.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. bat — the animal
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. club — for dancing
  8. club — for golf
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. bay — a part of the sea
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. court — of a king
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. court — for sport
  15. pound — a weight
  16. lie — to recline
  17. rash — a series
  18. rash — hasty
  19. court — of law
  20. row — to paddle
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. bay — a horse colour
  23. club — a group
  24. row — a line

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