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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. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. bat — the animal
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. court — for sport
  5. wax — to grow
  6. season — in sport
  7. court — of a king
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. can — a tin
  11. rule — government
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. fork — in a road
  18. season — of the year
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. can — a tin
  21. rule — a law
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. can — to be able to
  24. court — of law

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