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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. face — to point toward
  3. face — part of the head
  4. wind — moving air
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. vault — a safe
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. chip — to eat
  11. chip — for betting
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. wind — moving air
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. face — to confront
  18. wind — to turn a key

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