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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. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. You can't go backstage without a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. court — of a king
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. bark — to shout
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. content — the amount
  14. can — a tin
  15. content — happy
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. can — to be able to
  18. court — of law
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. rush — hurry
  21. perch — the fish
  22. can — a tin
  23. court — for sport
  24. pass — a permit

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