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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. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. firm — steady
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. ball — a great time
  5. root — of a word
  6. drill — army training
  7. court — for sport
  8. lean — thin
  9. lean — to bend
  10. firm — decided
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. court — of a king
  14. drill — a practice
  15. court — of law
  16. file — a line of people
  17. root — the cause
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. file — a document
  21. drill — the tool
  22. root — of a plant
  23. file — a tool
  24. ball — a dance

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