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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. False peace will not ________________.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. last — finally
  3. bat — the animal
  4. current — of water
  5. current — electric
  6. drill — army training
  7. drill — a practice
  8. field — a subject
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. field — for sport
  11. stand — to bear
  12. current — happening now
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. stand — for spectators
  15. drill — the tool
  16. last — final
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. foot — a measure
  19. field — farmland
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. foot — part of the body

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