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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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. field — for sport
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. squash — the sport
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. cell — a phone
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. cell — in biology
  11. tube — the underground
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. field — a subject
  15. saw — the tool
  16. squash — to crush
  17. tube — a container
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. sharp — clever
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. field — farmland
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. foot — a measure

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