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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 kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. scale — size or range
  5. court — of law
  6. bore — to tire
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. mate — a friend
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. scale — in music
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. hand — in cards
  14. hand — help
  15. mate — to breed
  16. bore — to drill
  17. court — of a king
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. court — for sport
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. mate — a partner
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. racket — for tennis

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