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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. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. field — a subject
  4. saw — the tool
  5. saw — the tool
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. kid — to tease
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. perch — the fish
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. field — farmland
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. field — for sport
  17. deal — to handle
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. kid — child
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. lash — an eyelash

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