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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. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — an eyelash
  2. fall — to drop
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. current — happening now
  5. field — for sport
  6. jam — to spread on bread
  7. kid — to tease
  8. jam — a tight spot
  9. fall — the season
  10. current — electric
  11. kid — child
  12. field — farmland
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. saw — the tool
  15. current — of water
  16. jam — in traffic
  17. capital — a city
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. saw — the tool
  20. fall — to drop
  21. capital — money
  22. field — a subject
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. capital — a big letter

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