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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. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. safe — a strongbox
  6. court — of law
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. court — of a king
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. club — for golf
  14. mine — for digging
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. club — for dancing
  18. band — a ring
  19. rush — hurry
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. club — a group
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. band — a music group
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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