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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 ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. vault — in gymnastics
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. field — for sport
  6. bear — the animal
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. bound — certain
  10. mine — for digging
  11. field — farmland
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. rest — what's left
  15. vault — a safe
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. bear — the animal
  18. rest — what's left
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. rest — a break
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. bound — tied together
  23. bound — obliged
  24. field — a subject

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