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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 was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  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. ball — a great time
  2. roll — a list
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. roll — a cake
  6. ball — a dance
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. safe — a strongbox
  9. chair — a leader
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. snap — to click
  15. court — of a king
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. court — for sport
  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