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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. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. court — of law
  3. court — of a king
  4. band — a music group
  5. squash — the sport
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. bark — to shout
  12. band — a ring
  13. staff — employees
  14. ground — the earth
  15. squash — to crush
  16. ground — a position
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. court — for sport
  19. rash — a series
  20. staff — a stick
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. staff — employees
  23. ground — crushed
  24. bark — of a tree

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