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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: lash · fine · pitcher · current · field · rock · squash · mate

  1. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. squash — the sport
  3. mate — a friend
  4. current — happening now
  5. mate — to breed
  6. field — a subject
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. current — electric
  9. fine — all right
  10. rock — music
  11. field — farmland
  12. field — for sport
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. current — of water
  15. fine — high quality
  16. mate — a partner
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. rock — a stone
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. squash — to crush
  24. pitcher — a jug

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