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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. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. field — a subject
  3. scale — in music
  4. face — part of the head
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. game — wild animals
  7. fine — high quality
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. field — for sport
  10. fine — all right
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. scale — size or range
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. game — a match
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. face — to confront
  20. field — farmland
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. face — to point toward
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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