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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. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. rule — government
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. race — a contest
  9. chest — of your body
  10. race — the arms race
  11. hand — help
  12. race — humankind
  13. hand — in cards
  14. face — to confront
  15. chest — a box
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. face — part of the head
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. rule — a law
  20. chest — of your body
  21. present — a gift
  22. present — the time now
  23. present — there
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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