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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 felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. cap — a lid
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. cap — a hat
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. bat — the animal
  9. chair — a leader
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. cap — of ice
  15. content — the amount
  16. court — for sport
  17. court — of a king
  18. content — happy
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. court — of law
  24. pitcher — a jug

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