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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. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. pound — a weight
  3. fine — high quality
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. field — farmland
  6. field — for sport
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. march — the month
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. bulb — for light
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. march — the month
  17. field — a subject
  18. deal — to handle
  19. bulb — for light
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. march — music
  24. nail — on a finger

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