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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. That must've been a ________________.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. land — ground
  3. bound — obliged
  4. mate — to breed
  5. land — to come down
  6. field — a subject
  7. rock — a stone
  8. mate — a partner
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. bound — certain
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. rush — hurry
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. rock — music
  17. field — farmland
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. deal — to handle
  21. field — for sport
  22. land — a country
  23. bound — tied together
  24. mate — a friend

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