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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. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. ball — a great time
  3. ball — a dance
  4. face — to point toward
  5. plane — a tool
  6. band — a ring
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. lean — thin
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. band — a music group
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. face — to confront
  13. snap — to click
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. march — music
  19. lean — to bend
  20. march — the month
  21. face — part of the head
  22. march — the month
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. band — a rubber band

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