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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 116 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 ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. bound — tied together
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. court — of law
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. pound — a weight
  11. bound — obliged
  12. rest — what's left
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. mine — for digging
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. court — of a king
  17. rest — a break
  18. field — a subject
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. field — for sport
  22. bound — certain
  23. field — farmland
  24. court — for sport

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