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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. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. We're on a ________________ here.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. cue — a hint
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. roll — on a roll
  7. tear — from crying
  8. game — a match
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. tear — from crying
  11. roll — a list
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. roll — a cake
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. tear — to rip
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. cue — for pool
  18. ruler — a monarch
  19. cue — a signal
  20. field — for sport
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. game — wild animals
  23. rush — hurry
  24. field — farmland

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