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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. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. field — farmland
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. can — a tin
  7. can — to be able to
  8. swing — to play on
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. rock — music
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. rock — a stone
  16. swing — music
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. field — for sport
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. can — a tin
  23. temple — side of the head
  24. swing — in golf

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