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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. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. court — of law
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. bound — obliged
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. rash — hasty
  7. court — of a king
  8. bound — tied together
  9. bound — certain
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. rash — a series
  14. court — for sport
  15. perch — the fish
  16. spring — of water
  17. spring — a coil
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. spring — the season
  24. lash — to lash out

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