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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. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. pass — to spend time
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. staff — employees
  5. drill — a practice
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. court — for sport
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. clip — a video
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. pass — a permit
  12. court — of law
  13. staff — employees
  14. mug — a face
  15. clip — for paper
  16. drill — army training
  17. clip — to cut
  18. mug — to rob
  19. court — of a king
  20. staff — a stick
  21. mug — a cup
  22. drill — the tool
  23. chair — a leader
  24. pass — to succeed

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