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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. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. cap — a lid
  3. cap — of ice
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. safe — a strongbox
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. tear — from crying
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. court — of law
  11. cap — a hat
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. spring — the season
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. spring — a coil
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. tear — to rip
  22. spring — of water
  23. court — for sport
  24. tear — from crying

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