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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 stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  21. When will it ________________ you to start?
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. saw — the tool
  4. field — a subject
  5. rock — a stone
  6. suit — clothes
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. saw — the tool
  9. rock — music
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. drill — army training
  13. capital — a city
  14. snap — to click
  15. capital — money
  16. field — farmland
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. drill — a practice
  20. suit — in cards
  21. suit — to fit
  22. drill — the tool
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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