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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. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. face — part of the head
  3. face — to point toward
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. face — to confront
  8. toast — the most admired
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. squash — to crush
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. tube — a container
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. bulb — for light
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. bulb — for light
  20. kick — in football
  21. squash — the sport
  22. tube — the underground
  23. toast — a drink to someone
  24. fan — a supporter

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