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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: lash · cell · pit · swing · perch · bear · cue · court

  1. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. cue — for pool
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. cue — a hint
  7. bear — the animal
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. court — for sport
  10. swing — music
  11. perch — the fish
  12. cue — a signal
  13. swing — to play on
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. pit — a hole
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. bear — the animal
  18. swing — in golf
  19. pit — in a race
  20. cell — a phone
  21. cell — in biology
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. court — of a king
  24. court — of law

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