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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. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. current — of water
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. sharp — clever
  5. pass — a permit
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. drill — the tool
  9. pound — a weight
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. drill — army training
  13. court — of law
  14. current — electric
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. current — happening now
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. court — for sport
  23. drill — a practice
  24. lash — an eyelash

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