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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. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. When will it ________________ you to start?
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. cap — a hat
  3. suit — clothes
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. kid — child
  9. field — a subject
  10. suit — in cards
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. rush — hurry
  13. suit — to fit
  14. wake — a trail
  15. cap — a lid
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. field — farmland
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. field — for sport
  20. kid — to tease
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. cap — of ice
  24. lash — to lash out

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