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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.

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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. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  2. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. pass — a permit
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. face — part of the head
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. cold — not warm
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. face — to point toward
  13. plane — a tool
  14. pit — a hole
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. pit — in a race
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. swing — to play on
  19. dip — to sink
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. cold — an illness
  23. face — to confront
  24. swing — in golf

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