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

Word bank: lie · field · race · lash · pitch · leaves · kid · row

  1. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — to recline
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. pitch — completely
  6. race — humankind
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. row — to paddle
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. kid — to tease
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. race — a contest
  15. race — the arms race
  16. kid — child
  17. field — for sport
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. field — a subject
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. row — a line
  23. lie — an untruth
  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