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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. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. ground — the earth
  4. court — of a king
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. ball — a dance
  10. court — of law
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. can — a tin
  13. ball — a great time
  14. ground — a position
  15. chair — a leader
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. bat — the animal
  18. court — for sport
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. can — a tin
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. wave — with your hand
  24. ground — crushed

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