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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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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: pound · straw · court · plane · bat · bark · lash · pit

  1. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. pound — a weight
  4. pit — a hole
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. pit — in a race
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. court — of law
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. bat — the animal
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. court — for sport
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. plane — a tool
  23. court — of a king
  24. bat — in an idiom

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