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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. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — a stone
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. kid — to tease
  11. kid — child
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. file — a document
  14. file — a tool
  15. rock — music
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. field — for sport
  19. file — a line of people
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. field — a subject
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. field — farmland

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