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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. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. The tickets are free of ________________.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. saw — the tool
  3. bound — tied together
  4. field — a subject
  5. wind — moving air
  6. ground — crushed
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. ground — a position
  9. bound — obliged
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. field — farmland
  12. charge — in control
  13. wind — moving air
  14. net — in sport
  15. field — for sport
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. ground — the earth
  18. net — after costs
  19. net — for catching
  20. charge — electricity
  21. bound — certain
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. charge — a price
  24. saw — the tool

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