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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 hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  23. The tickets are free of ________________.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — to recline
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. can — to be able to
  4. can — a tin
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. field — farmland
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. charge — electricity
  10. field — for sport
  11. can — a tin
  12. face — to point toward
  13. face — part of the head
  14. charge — in control
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. field — a subject
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. roll — a cake
  21. face — to confront
  22. roll — a list
  23. charge — a price
  24. lie — an untruth

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