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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 116 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 · rash · stick · vault · lash · kid · pit · mouse

  1. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. field — farmland
  7. field — a subject
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. field — for sport
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. vault — a safe
  13. kid — to tease
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. pit — a hole
  16. rash — a series
  17. rash — hasty
  18. pit — in a race
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. kid — child
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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