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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. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. rest — what's left
  5. bound — certain
  6. present — a gift
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. snap — to click
  9. bound — tied together
  10. rash — a series
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. field — a subject
  13. rash — hasty
  14. rest — a break
  15. row — to paddle
  16. present — there
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. bound — obliged
  19. row — a line
  20. rest — what's left
  21. field — farmland
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. present — the time now

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