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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. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. rash — a series
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. rash — hasty
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. pitch — completely
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. capital — money
  14. court — of law
  15. bark — to shout
  16. pass — a permit
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. court — for sport
  21. pass — to succeed
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. capital — a city

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