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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.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. charge — in control
  3. bound — tied together
  4. track — a song
  5. bound — certain
  6. bound — obliged
  7. net — for catching
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. charge — a price
  10. field — a subject
  11. net — in sport
  12. field — farmland
  13. charge — electricity
  14. net — after costs
  15. track — a path
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. track — to keep track
  18. field — for sport

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