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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 120 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 spa offers ________________ extensions.
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — an eyelash
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. drill — a practice
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. field — farmland
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. game — wild animals
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. drill — army training
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. bear — the animal
  15. field — for sport
  16. bear — the animal
  17. game — a match
  18. perch — the fish
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. drill — the tool
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. field — a subject
  24. bat — the animal

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