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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. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. lie — to recline
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. field — for sport
  5. field — a subject
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. field — farmland
  10. fall — to drop
  11. bat — the animal
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. kick — in football
  14. fall — to drop
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. fall — the season
  18. deal — to handle
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. rush — hurry
  24. lie — an untruth

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