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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. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  12. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. object — a thing
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. squash — the sport
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. field — for sport
  7. object — to protest
  8. shower — to wash
  9. object — an aim
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. firm — a company
  12. firm — decided
  13. field — a subject
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. firm — steady
  16. mate — a partner
  17. shower — rain
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. mate — to breed
  20. squash — to crush
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. mate — a friend
  23. lie — to recline
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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