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

  1. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. wound — an injury
  4. rule — government
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. field — a subject
  9. face — to confront
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. bound — tied together
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. face — part of the head
  18. face — to point toward
  19. bound — certain
  20. wound — an injury
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. bound — obliged
  23. field — for sport
  24. rule — a law

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