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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: ground · staff · rash · lash · swing · field · last · fine

  1. There's no middle ________________.
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. swing — in golf
  4. last — finally
  5. last — final
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. swing — music
  9. staff — employees
  10. ground — crushed
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. ground — the earth
  13. fine — high quality
  14. swing — to play on
  15. rash — hasty
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. staff — a stick
  18. field — for sport
  19. last — to go on
  20. fine — all right
  21. field — a subject
  22. staff — employees
  23. rash — a series
  24. field — farmland

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