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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. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. Have you settled on a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. club — for dancing
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. club — for golf
  8. board — to get on
  9. row — a line
  10. can — a tin
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. date — the fruit
  15. court — of a king
  16. can — a tin
  17. chair — a leader
  18. court — of law
  19. board — a committee
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. row — to paddle
  22. can — to be able to
  23. club — a group
  24. date — on the calendar

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