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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 ball is in your ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. present — a gift
  6. bear — the animal
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. court — of a king
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. present — there
  14. court — of law
  15. row — a line
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. present — the time now
  18. bear — the animal
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. row — to paddle
  24. bat — the animal

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