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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. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. fork — in a road
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. face — to point toward
  15. face — to confront
  16. saw — the tool
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. hand — in cards
  19. saw — the tool
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. kick — in football
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. hand — help
  24. nail — for a hammer

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