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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 had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. field — a subject
  5. file — a tool
  6. mate — to breed
  7. row — a line
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. chip — for betting
  10. row — to paddle
  11. file — a document
  12. field — farmland
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. file — a line of people
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. chip — to eat
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. mate — a friend
  21. mate — a partner
  22. field — for sport
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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