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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
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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: rash · saw · chair · field · bowl · face · foot · lash

  1. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. foot — a measure
  3. saw — the tool
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. face — to point toward
  6. rash — a series
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. face — to confront
  14. face — part of the head
  15. chair — a leader
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. field — for sport
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. field — farmland
  23. saw — the tool
  24. field — a subject

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