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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. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. When will it ________________ you to start?
  8. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. field — a subject
  5. wound — an injury
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. suit — to fit
  8. suit — clothes
  9. degree — an amount
  10. lie — to recline
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. suit — in cards
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. wound — an injury
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. face — part of the head
  18. degree — temperature
  19. face — to point toward
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. degree — from a university
  23. face — to confront
  24. field — for sport

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