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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. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. field — for sport
  3. fall — to drop
  4. bulb — for light
  5. bulb — for light
  6. ball — a dance
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. face — to confront
  9. mate — a partner
  10. fall — to drop
  11. mate — to breed
  12. face — part of the head
  13. face — to point toward
  14. mate — a friend
  15. fall — the season
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. field — a subject
  20. ball — a great time
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. lash — an eyelash

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