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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. There's no middle ________________.
  2. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. bank — for money
  3. tube — the underground
  4. court — of law
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. court — of a king
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. tear — from crying
  9. court — for sport
  10. bank — of a river
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. squash — the sport
  15. ground — the earth
  16. tear — to rip
  17. tear — from crying
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. board — a committee
  20. squash — to crush
  21. ground — crushed
  22. bank — for money
  23. board — to get on
  24. tube — a container

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