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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 120 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. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. staff — a stick
  4. track — a path
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. field — for sport
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. spell — magic
  13. spring — the season
  14. spell — letters
  15. spring — a coil
  16. staff — employees
  17. staff — employees
  18. sharp — clever
  19. spring — of water
  20. track — a song
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. spell — a short time
  23. field — farmland
  24. track — to keep track

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