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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. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. We're on a ________________ here.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. field — a subject
  3. last — finally
  4. charge — a price
  5. roll — a cake
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. field — farmland
  8. last — to go on
  9. charge — in control
  10. field — for sport
  11. rash — hasty
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. rash — a series
  15. last — final
  16. rock — music
  17. prune — to trim
  18. charge — electricity
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. roll — a list
  21. prune — to trim
  22. roll — on a roll
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. rock — a stone

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