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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. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. bay — a part of the sea
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. court — for sport
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. court — of law
  8. clip — for paper
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. lie — to recline
  17. clip — to cut
  18. court — of a king
  19. mine — for digging
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. clip — a video
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. lash — an eyelash

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