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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 120 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 King held a masked ________________.
  2. The ________________ took off on time.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. field — for sport
  5. ball — a great time
  6. field — a subject
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. stand — to bear
  10. rush — hurry
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. plane — a tool
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. kid — to tease
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. field — farmland
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. kid — child
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. rush — a thrill

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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