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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 124 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. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — in a race
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. branch — a division
  5. scale — size or range
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. pit — a hole
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. plane — a tool
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. field — farmland
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. field — a subject
  20. kick — in football
  21. scale — in music
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. field — for sport
  24. branch — of a bank

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