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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. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. pit — a hole
  4. pit — in a race
  5. mug — to rob
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. shower — to wash
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. shower — rain
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. toast — bread
  15. rock — a stone
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. mug — a cup
  19. toast — the most admired
  20. rock — music
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. field — farmland
  23. mug — a face
  24. field — for sport

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