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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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Word bank
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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 stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. squash — to crush
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. field — a subject
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. staff — employees
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. squash — the sport
  11. field — farmland
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. staff — employees
  14. staff — a stick
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. snap — to click
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. vault — a safe
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. pitch — completely

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