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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 120 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. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. The people resisted their cruel ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. band — a ring
  3. lie — to recline
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. court — of law
  15. rash — hasty
  16. court — of a king
  17. cell — a phone
  18. court — for sport
  19. band — a music group
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. cell — in biology
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. ruler — a monarch

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