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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. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. When will it ________________ you to start?
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. row — to paddle
  3. suit — clothes
  4. field — a subject
  5. ball — a great time
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. field — for sport
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. march — the month
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. suit — to fit
  15. fork — in a road
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. row — a line
  18. march — the month
  19. suit — in cards
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. march — music
  22. ball — a dance
  23. field — farmland
  24. bowl — a football final

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