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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. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — an eyelash
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. saw — the tool
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. rest — a break
  7. field — a subject
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. saw — the tool
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. pop — to visit
  13. pop — soda
  14. squash — the sport
  15. pop — music
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. squash — to crush
  19. rest — what's left
  20. field — for sport
  21. rest — what's left
  22. snap — to click
  23. foot — a measure
  24. field — farmland

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