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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. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. tear — from crying
  4. tear — from crying
  5. scale — in music
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. deal — to handle
  11. tear — to rip
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. present — the time now
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. field — a subject
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. scale — size or range
  20. present — there
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. present — a gift
  23. field — farmland
  24. vault — a safe

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