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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. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  20. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. field — farmland
  3. content — the amount
  4. field — for sport
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. object — to protest
  7. toast — bread
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. game — a match
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. toast — a drink to someone
  12. game — wild animals
  13. craft — a skill
  14. craft — boats
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. content — happy
  19. toast — the most admired
  20. object — an aim
  21. object — a thing
  22. field — a subject
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. racket — for tennis

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