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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.

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: march · bore · rush · court · lash · fork · bat · straw

  1. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. march — the month
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. court — of law
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. march — the month
  10. bore — to tire
  11. fork — in a road
  12. court — of a king
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. bore — to drill
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. rush — hurry
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. march — music
  21. bat — the animal
  22. court — for sport
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. straw — dry grass

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