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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. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. field — for sport
  3. fork — in a road
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. ground — the earth
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. rest — a break
  9. ground — crushed
  10. field — farmland
  11. ground — a position
  12. band — a ring
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. lie — to recline
  15. rest — what's left
  16. band — a music group
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. rest — what's left
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. field — a subject

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