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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. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  13. When will it ________________ you to start?
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. field — a subject
  7. mate — a friend
  8. capital — money
  9. rash — a series
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. suit — in cards
  13. suit — to fit
  14. mate — a partner
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. field — for sport
  17. field — farmland
  18. suit — clothes
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. mate — to breed
  24. capital — a city

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