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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 116 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. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. field — for sport
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. pit — in a race
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. rest — a break
  7. wound — an injury
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. wound — an injury
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. field — farmland
  13. bass — the fish
  14. rest — what's left
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. field — a subject
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. pit — a hole
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. bass — low music
  24. bass — the instrument

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