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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. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. mug — a cup
  4. mug — to rob
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. field — for sport
  7. hand — in cards
  8. cap — a lid
  9. field — a subject
  10. cap — of ice
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. foot — the bottom
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. hand — help
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. mine — for digging
  17. foot — a measure
  18. cap — a hat
  19. mug — a face
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. hand — part of the body

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