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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. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. When will it ________________ you to start?
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. scale — in music
  4. suit — to fit
  5. pop — to visit
  6. pop — music
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. spell — a short time
  9. spell — letters
  10. suit — in cards
  11. field — farmland
  12. scale — size or range
  13. ground — the earth
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. field — for sport
  16. wake — a trail
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. pop — soda
  20. ground — crushed
  21. ground — a position
  22. spell — magic
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. suit — clothes

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