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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 116 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 is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. court — for sport
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. can — to be able to
  5. pound — a weight
  6. spring — the season
  7. court — of a king
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. ball — a great time
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. lean — to bend
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. spring — of water
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. wake — a trail
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. spring — a coil
  20. can — a tin
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. ball — a dance
  23. court — of law
  24. can — a tin

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