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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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  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. wake — before a funeral
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. march — music
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. file — a tool
  6. field — farmland
  7. file — a line of people
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. dip — to sink
  10. field — a subject
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. march — the month
  13. march — the month
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. file — a document
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. wake — a trail
  20. field — for sport
  21. deal — to handle
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. dip — to dunk
  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