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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. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  4. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. clip — a video
  3. stand — for spectators
  4. pass — to spend time
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. field — for sport
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. drill — army training
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. clip — to cut
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. drill — a practice
  14. drill — the tool
  15. pass — a permit
  16. cell — in biology
  17. field — farmland
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. stand — to bear
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. wake — a trail
  22. cell — a phone
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. clip — for paper

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