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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: wind · lash · firm · tear · court · coach · ball · pound

  1. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  14. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. tear — from crying
  3. wind — moving air
  4. court — for sport
  5. firm — steady
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. court — of law
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. pound — a weight
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. ball — a dance
  12. tear — to rip
  13. firm — a company
  14. firm — decided
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. court — of a king
  18. ball — a great time
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. tear — from crying
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. wind — to turn a key

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