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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 120 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 · press · club · court · can · bat · deal · tear

  1. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  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. club — for dancing
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. can — a tin
  4. court — for sport
  5. press — newspapers
  6. court — of a king
  7. bat — the animal
  8. press — a publisher
  9. can — to be able to
  10. tear — from crying
  11. tear — to rip
  12. club — a group
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. tear — from crying
  17. press — to push
  18. deal — to handle
  19. can — a tin
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. court — of law
  23. club — for golf
  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