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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. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. saw — the tool
  3. court — for sport
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. can — a tin
  7. can — a tin
  8. court — of law
  9. drill — army training
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. can — to be able to
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. court — of a king
  15. drill — a practice
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. stock — goods
  19. drill — the tool
  20. stock — shares
  21. cell — in biology
  22. saw — the tool
  23. pass — a permit
  24. cell — a phone

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