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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. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. lash — an eyelash
  2. cell — in biology
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. mark — a trace
  6. cell — a phone
  7. bat — the animal
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. ball — a dance
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. mark — a grade
  17. field — farmland
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. field — for sport
  21. ball — a great time
  22. field — a subject
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. fan — to cool the air

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