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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 ball is in your ________________.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. When will it ________________ you to start?
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. file — a tool
  3. court — of a king
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. kick — in football
  6. cap — a lid
  7. court — of law
  8. bark — to shout
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. suit — clothes
  14. file — a document
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. suit — in cards
  18. stand — on your feet
  19. cap — of ice
  20. stand — to bear
  21. cap — a hat
  22. suit — to fit
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. file — a line of people

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