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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 116 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. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. field — for sport
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. field — a subject
  6. chip — for betting
  7. rest — what's left
  8. mate — a partner
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. field — farmland
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. rest — a break
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. mate — a friend
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. chip — to eat
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. rest — what's left
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. bowl — to roll

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