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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. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. lean — to bend
  3. court — of law
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. pop — music
  6. land — to come down
  7. land — ground
  8. pop — soda
  9. land — a country
  10. lean — thin
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. pound — a weight
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. foot — a measure
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. court — of a king
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. court — for sport
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. pop — to visit

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