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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. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. ball — a dance
  3. field — a subject
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. field — for sport
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. field — farmland
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. ball — a great time
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. wind — moving air
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. track — a song
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. track — to keep track
  20. kick — in football
  21. wind — moving air
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. track — a path
  24. leaves — of a tree

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