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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. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. charge — a price
  3. charge — electricity
  4. hand — help
  5. field — a subject
  6. mark — a grade
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. charge — in control
  11. craft — a skill
  12. bat — the animal
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. field — farmland
  16. field — for sport
  17. bear — the animal
  18. hand — in cards
  19. mark — a trace
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. craft — boats

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