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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. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. We're on a ________________ here.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. field — for sport
  3. bass — the fish
  4. roll — on a roll
  5. hand — in cards
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. bass — low music
  8. club — for golf
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. club — for dancing
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. field — farmland
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. hand — help
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. roll — a cake
  19. club — a group
  20. field — a subject
  21. rash — a series
  22. roll — a list
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. hand — part of the body

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