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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
468
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: stick · leaves · mate · court · lash · rash · bound · hide

  1. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. bound — certain
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. court — of a king
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. mate — a friend
  8. court — of law
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. rash — a series
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. bound — tied together
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. bound — obliged
  20. mate — to breed
  21. mate — a partner
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. court — for sport
  24. leaves — of a tree

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