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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. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. chip — for betting
  3. mug — a face
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. court — of a king
  6. court — of law
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. mug — a cup
  11. shower — rain
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. lie — to recline
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. chip — to eat
  18. mug — to rob
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. row — a line
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. row — to paddle
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. shower — to wash

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