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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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. mug — a face
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. cue — a signal
  5. court — for sport
  6. cue — for pool
  7. rash — hasty
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. rash — a series
  10. cue — a hint
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. mug — to rob
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. court — of law
  15. court — of a king
  16. clip — a video
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. vault — a safe
  19. clip — for paper
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. clip — to cut
  22. mine — for digging
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. mug — a cup

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