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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. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. foot — a measure
  4. shower — rain
  5. shower — to wash
  6. stand — to bear
  7. kid — child
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. pop — soda
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. cap — of ice
  14. cap — a hat
  15. kid — to tease
  16. pop — music
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. pop — to visit
  20. cap — a lid
  21. foot — part of the body
  22. field — farmland
  23. field — a subject
  24. field — 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