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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. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. object — to protest
  3. ball — a great time
  4. object — an aim
  5. chest — of your body
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. ball — a dance
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. ruler — a monarch
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. court — for sport
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. court — of law
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. chest — a box
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. court — of a king
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. object — a thing
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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