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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. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. field — farmland
  5. field — a subject
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. kid — to tease
  9. field — for sport
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. stand — to bear
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. kid — child
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. lie — to recline
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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