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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. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  15. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. tube — a container
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. court — of a king
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. court — of law
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. scale — in music
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. bark — to shout
  14. firm — a company
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. tube — the underground
  17. court — for sport
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. date — the fruit
  20. scale — size or range
  21. fine — high quality
  22. firm — decided
  23. fine — all right
  24. bark — of a tree

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