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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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.

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. season — in sport
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. court — of law
  10. degree — an amount
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. tear — from crying
  13. saw — the tool
  14. plane — a tool
  15. degree — from a university
  16. court — of a king
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. season — of the year
  19. tear — from crying
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. tear — to rip
  23. degree — temperature
  24. vault — a safe

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