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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 120 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 spa offers ________________ extensions.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — an eyelash
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. cell — in biology
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. hand — help
  8. board — to get on
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. field — for sport
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. deal — to handle
  15. sharp — clever
  16. field — farmland
  17. cell — a phone
  18. board — a committee
  19. saw — the tool
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. hand — in cards
  23. field — a subject
  24. saw — the tool

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