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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. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. pit — a hole
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. season — in sport
  6. bass — low music
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. bass — the fish
  9. wound — an injury
  10. saw — the tool
  11. pit — in a race
  12. mark — a trace
  13. wound — an injury
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. mark — a grade
  16. season — of the year
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. field — farmland
  19. saw — the tool
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. field — for sport
  24. mark — to pay attention

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