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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 spa offers ________________ extensions.
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. When will it ________________ you to start?
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — an eyelash
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. suit — to fit
  4. march — the month
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. cold — not warm
  7. suit — in cards
  8. field — a subject
  9. craft — boats
  10. march — the month
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. cold — an illness
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. suit — clothes
  16. lie — to recline
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. march — music
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. field — for sport
  22. field — farmland
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. craft — a skill

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