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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: field · hide · racket · straw · lash · vault · clip · mark

  1. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. mark — a trace
  3. field — a subject
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. clip — a video
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. field — farmland
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. clip — for paper
  11. vault — a safe
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. field — for sport
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. clip — to cut
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. mark — a grade

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