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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 120 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 ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. game — wild animals
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. current — of water
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. field — a subject
  8. current — electric
  9. last — final
  10. bank — for money
  11. field — for sport
  12. bank — for money
  13. last — finally
  14. march — music
  15. march — the month
  16. current — happening now
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. march — the month
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. bank — of a river
  21. sharp — clever
  22. field — farmland
  23. game — a match
  24. last — to go on

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