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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 120 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 walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. file — a line of people
  3. court — of a king
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. last — to go on
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. tear — to rip
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. tear — from crying
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. file — a tool
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. tear — from crying
  15. last — final
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. mine — for digging
  18. file — a document
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. last — finally
  24. court — of law

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