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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. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. When was this ________________ built?
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  14. We're on a ________________ here.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. court — of law
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. court — for sport
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. bat — the animal
  10. vault — a safe
  11. court — of a king
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. roll — a cake
  14. roll — on a roll
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. roll — a list
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. straw — dry grass

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