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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 116 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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. field — for sport
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. ground — a position
  8. saw — the tool
  9. ground — crushed
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. pound — a weight
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. wake — a trail
  15. field — farmland
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. field — a subject
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. ground — the earth
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. saw — the tool
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. mouse — for a computer

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