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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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: straw · rash · perch · field · chair · lash · craft · ball

  1. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. ball — a great time
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. rash — a series
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. craft — a skill
  9. perch — the fish
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. field — farmland
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. field — for sport
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. chair — a leader
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. ball — a dance
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. craft — boats
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. field — a subject

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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