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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. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. key — the most important part
  4. key — in music
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. content — happy
  7. key — for a lock
  8. last — finally
  9. field — for sport
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. field — a subject
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. last — final
  14. content — the amount
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. last — to go on
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. lean — to bend
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. lean — thin
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. lean — to rest against

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