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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
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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: court · bore · lash · fine · squash · cap · clip · hand

  1. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  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. fine — a penalty
  2. fine — all right
  3. cap — a lid
  4. hand — in cards
  5. bore — to drill
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. cap — of ice
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. squash — to crush
  10. bore — to tire
  11. clip — a video
  12. court — of law
  13. clip — for paper
  14. cap — a hat
  15. court — for sport
  16. clip — to cut
  17. hand — help
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. squash — the sport
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. court — of a king
  23. fine — high quality
  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