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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 girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. The tickets are free of ________________.
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. row — to paddle
  4. field — for sport
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. last — to go on
  7. snap — to click
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. last — final
  11. charge — in control
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. charge — a price
  14. roll — a cake
  15. roll — a list
  16. charge — electricity
  17. field — farmland
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. field — a subject
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. last — finally
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. fork — in a road

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