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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 116 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 office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. court — of a king
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. staff — a stick
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. land — ground
  8. land — a country
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. tube — a container
  11. tube — the underground
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. mine — for digging
  14. staff — employees
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. lie — to recline
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. court — for sport
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. land — to come down
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. court — of law
  24. sharp — clever

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