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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. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. wake — a trail
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. ground — a position
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. tear — from crying
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. court — for sport
  14. ground — crushed
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. ground — the earth
  17. pound — a weight
  18. tear — to rip
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. court — of a king
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. tear — from crying

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