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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. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. wound — an injury
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. rash — hasty
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. field — a subject
  8. wound — an injury
  9. rest — what's left
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. field — for sport
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. lie — to recline
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. rash — a series
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. rest — a break
  20. field — farmland
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. rest — what's left
  24. lash — an eyelash

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