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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. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. rush — hurry
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. kick — in football
  7. track — to keep track
  8. kid — to tease
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. track — a path
  11. field — for sport
  12. sharp — clever
  13. kid — child
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. track — a song
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. bass — low music
  21. bass — the fish
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. field — farmland

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