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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: firm · kid · mark · court · spell · perch · lash · drill

  1. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  4. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. drill — army training
  3. firm — a company
  4. firm — decided
  5. mark — a grade
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. court — of law
  8. mark — a trace
  9. firm — steady
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. spell — magic
  12. perch — the fish
  13. drill — the tool
  14. kid — child
  15. court — of a king
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. drill — a practice
  19. kid — to tease
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. court — for sport
  22. spell — a short time
  23. spell — letters
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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