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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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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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. field — a subject
  3. mate — to breed
  4. net — for catching
  5. mouse — for a computer
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. field — for sport
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. mate — a friend
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. mug — a cup
  13. fork — in a road
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. mug — a face
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. mug — to rob
  19. net — after costs
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. net — in sport
  22. bark — to shout
  23. field — farmland
  24. lash — to lash out

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