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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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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: bowl · game · court · lash · tear · key · cabinet · object

  1. That was a fun ________________.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  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. game — a match
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. court — of a king
  5. object — a thing
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. tear — from crying
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. game — wild animals
  10. key — for a lock
  11. tear — from crying
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. tear — to rip
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. object — to protest
  17. court — for sport
  18. key — in music
  19. key — the most important part
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. object — an aim
  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