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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. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. fork — in a road
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. kick — in football
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. spell — magic
  18. field — farmland
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. spell — a short time
  21. field — a subject
  22. spell — letters
  23. field — for sport
  24. fork — a garden 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