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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. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. bound — tied together
  3. bound — certain
  4. face — to confront
  5. bat — the animal
  6. face — part of the head
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. fork — in a road
  11. craft — a skill
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. craft — boats
  15. swing — in golf
  16. swing — to play on
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. sharp — clever
  20. bound — obliged
  21. swing — music
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. face — to point toward

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