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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. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  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. staff — a stick
  2. last — to go on
  3. wound — an injury
  4. field — farmland
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. wound — an injury
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. pop — to visit
  9. pass — a permit
  10. staff — employees
  11. staff — employees
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. pop — music
  16. pop — soda
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. last — final
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. field — for sport
  21. last — finally
  22. field — a subject
  23. pass — to spend time
  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