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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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Word bank
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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. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. field — for sport
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. field — a subject
  8. rash — a series
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. scale — in music
  11. ball — a dance
  12. snap — to click
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. ball — a great time
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. field — farmland
  17. mine — for digging
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. rash — hasty
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. lash — to lash out

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