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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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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: row · stick · field · pit · perch · lash · roll · face

  1. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. We're on a ________________ here.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — an eyelash
  2. field — a subject
  3. pit — in a race
  4. perch — the fish
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. roll — a cake
  8. field — farmland
  9. face — to confront
  10. row — a line
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. face — to point toward
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. roll — on a roll
  16. field — for sport
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. face — part of the head
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. row — to paddle
  23. roll — a list
  24. pit — a hole

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