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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 116 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. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. face — part of the head
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. face — to point toward
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. march — music
  8. march — the month
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. club — a group
  11. bound — obliged
  12. club — for dancing
  13. lean — thin
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. dip — to sink
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. march — the month
  18. bound — tied together
  19. lean — to bend
  20. bound — certain
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. bat — the animal
  24. club — for golf

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