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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: last · lash · field · court · bat · kick · saw · rest

  1. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  2. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — an eyelash
  2. kick — in football
  3. field — a subject
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. bat — the animal
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. saw — the tool
  8. last — finally
  9. last — final
  10. court — of a king
  11. rest — what's left
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. court — of law
  14. field — for sport
  15. field — farmland
  16. rest — what's left
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. saw — the tool
  19. court — for sport
  20. last — to go on
  21. rest — a break
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. kick — with a leg

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