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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. When will it ________________ you to start?
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. suit — to fit
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. squash — the sport
  7. court — of a king
  8. tear — from crying
  9. spell — a short time
  10. court — of law
  11. squash — to crush
  12. suit — clothes
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. field — for sport
  15. suit — in cards
  16. spell — magic
  17. tear — to rip
  18. field — a subject
  19. tear — from crying
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. court — for sport
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. field — farmland
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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