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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. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. object — a thing
  2. court — for sport
  3. mug — a cup
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. craft — a skill
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. court — of a king
  9. object — to protest
  10. pitch — completely
  11. court — of law
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. tube — the underground
  16. mug — a face
  17. rash — hasty
  18. mug — to rob
  19. rash — a series
  20. tube — a container
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. craft — boats
  23. object — an aim
  24. lash — an eyelash

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