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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. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. foot — the bottom
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. fine — all right
  8. rash — a series
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. kid — child
  12. kid — to tease
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. field — farmland
  18. fine — high quality
  19. rash — hasty
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. field — for sport
  22. field — a subject
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. foot — a measure

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