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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: charge · lash · pitcher · wound · field · chest · arm · foot

  1. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. The tickets are free of ________________.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. wound — an injury
  4. field — a subject
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. chest — a box
  7. chest — of your body
  8. chest — of your body
  9. charge — electricity
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. field — farmland
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. charge — a price
  18. field — for sport
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. wound — an injury
  21. charge — in control
  22. foot — a measure
  23. foot — part of the body
  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