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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. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. lie — to recline
  6. bank — of a river
  7. key — the most important part
  8. court — of a king
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. key — for a lock
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. key — in music
  13. bank — for money
  14. bark — to shout
  15. kid — to tease
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. bank — for money
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. bat — the animal
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. court — of law
  24. kid — child

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