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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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 · mine · can · tube · capital · court · squash · hide

  1. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. squash — to crush
  4. can — a tin
  5. can — a tin
  6. tube — the underground
  7. can — to be able to
  8. court — of law
  9. squash — the sport
  10. capital — money
  11. capital — a city
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. court — for sport
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. mine — for digging
  21. tube — a container
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. tube — in a tire

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