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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 120 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. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. court — of a king
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. squash — the sport
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. mark — a grade
  9. field — for sport
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. pound — a weight
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. field — a subject
  16. squash — to crush
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. mark — a trace
  20. field — farmland
  21. court — for sport
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. court — of law
  24. vault — a safe

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