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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. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  21. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. field — a subject
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. row — to paddle
  6. field — for sport
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. chest — of your body
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. chest — of your body
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. dip — to sink
  16. stand — to bear
  17. field — farmland
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. chest — a box
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. safe — a strongbox
  22. snap — to click
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. lash — to lash out

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