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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. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  11. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — an eyelash
  2. field — for sport
  3. rest — what's left
  4. field — a subject
  5. court — of law
  6. field — farmland
  7. rest — a break
  8. march — the month
  9. march — the month
  10. ruler — a monarch
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. press — newspapers
  14. court — of a king
  15. press — to push
  16. ground — crushed
  17. march — music
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. press — a publisher
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. rest — what's left
  22. ground — a position
  23. ground — the earth
  24. court — for sport

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