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

  1. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. shower — to wash
  4. face — part of the head
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. face — to confront
  7. spring — the season
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. face — to point toward
  11. shower — rain
  12. spring — a coil
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. spring — of water
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. lash — an eyelash

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