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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 King held a masked ________________.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. bark — to shout
  3. spell — magic
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. rash — hasty
  6. ruler — a monarch
  7. field — a subject
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. ball — a great time
  10. spell — letters
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. lie — to recline
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. field — farmland
  16. field — for sport
  17. spell — a short time
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. rash — a series
  24. rash — on the skin

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