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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. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. present — there
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. present — the time now
  5. bat — the animal
  6. court — for sport
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. craft — boats
  9. wake — a trail
  10. rash — hasty
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. court — of law
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. craft — a skill
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. rash — a series
  23. present — a gift
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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