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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 an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. When was this ________________ built?
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. lean — thin
  5. lean — to bend
  6. wound — an injury
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. field — farmland
  11. game — wild animals
  12. game — a match
  13. pitch — completely
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. wound — an injury
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. deal — to handle
  18. field — for sport
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. lash — an eyelash

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