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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. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — an eyelash
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. march — the month
  4. hand — in cards
  5. wave — of the sea
  6. hand — help
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. face — to point toward
  9. content — happy
  10. march — music
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. face — to confront
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. march — the month
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. pitch — completely
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. face — part of the head
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. wave — a sudden rise
  24. content — the amount

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