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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 116 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: lash · pitcher · rest · season · race · vault · saw · field

  1. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. race — humankind
  4. saw — the tool
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. race — a contest
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. season — in sport
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. field — a subject
  12. rest — a break
  13. field — for sport
  14. race — the arms race
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. saw — the tool
  18. rest — what's left
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. vault — a safe
  21. season — of the year
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. rest — what's left
  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