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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 120 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. False peace will not ________________.
  3. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. last — to go on
  3. wave — a sudden rise
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. last — final
  6. capital — money
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. lean — to bend
  9. court — of law
  10. lean — thin
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. court — for sport
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. capital — a city
  17. last — finally
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. wave — with your hand
  20. staff — a stick
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. staff — employees
  24. staff — employees

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