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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 116 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 stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. spell — a short time
  4. cold — an illness
  5. bound — tied together
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. rock — a stone
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. craft — boats
  11. craft — a skill
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. bound — certain
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. rock — music
  16. bound — obliged
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. spell — magic
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. spell — letters
  21. field — a subject
  22. field — farmland
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. cold — not warm

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