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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 King held a masked ________________.
  2. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. toast — the most admired
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. chip — for betting
  5. court — of a king
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. bore — to tire
  9. toast — bread
  10. degree — an amount
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. chip — to eat
  13. toast — a drink to someone
  14. court — of law
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. bore — to drill
  17. field — a subject
  18. ball — a great time
  19. court — for sport
  20. field — for sport
  21. field — farmland
  22. degree — temperature
  23. degree — from a university
  24. lash — to lash out

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