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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 116 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 an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. march — the month
  4. bat — the animal
  5. march — music
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. mark — a grade
  8. field — for sport
  9. mark — a trace
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. mug — a cup
  12. wound — an injury
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. mug — to rob
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. mug — a face
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. wound — an injury
  23. march — the month
  24. field — farmland

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