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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. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. craft — a skill
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. mouse — for a computer
  6. kid — child
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. kid — to tease
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. field — for sport
  13. snap — to click
  14. craft — boats
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. bat — the animal
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. field — farmland
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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