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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: field · march · rock · lash · stick · foot · lie · bat

  1. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — the bottom
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. rock — a stone
  4. field — a subject
  5. march — the month
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. march — the month
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. lie — to recline
  12. field — farmland
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. foot — a measure
  15. field — for sport
  16. rock — music
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. march — music
  21. bat — the animal
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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