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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.

Make a worksheet

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. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  19. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. field — for sport
  4. bass — low music
  5. mug — a cup
  6. staff — employees
  7. can — a tin
  8. object — an aim
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. staff — employees
  13. field — a subject
  14. staff — a stick
  15. field — farmland
  16. mug — to rob
  17. can — to be able to
  18. craft — boats
  19. object — to protest
  20. bass — the fish
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. object — a thing
  23. craft — a skill
  24. can — a tin

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