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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. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. can — a tin
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. foot — a measure
  7. pound — a weight
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. rash — hasty
  11. stand — to bear
  12. field — farmland
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. rash — a series
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. field — a subject
  21. can — a tin
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. field — for sport
  24. pound — to hit hard

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