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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. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. chest — a box
  3. roll — a cake
  4. bound — certain
  5. club — a group
  6. club — for golf
  7. bound — tied together
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. field — a subject
  12. cap — a lid
  13. chest — of your body
  14. chest — of your body
  15. pit — a hole
  16. roll — a list
  17. field — for sport
  18. field — farmland
  19. cap — a hat
  20. cap — of ice
  21. bound — obliged
  22. club — for dancing
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. pit — in a race

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