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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. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. ball — a great time
  3. mate — a friend
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. mate — a partner
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. toast — the most admired
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. ball — a dance
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. bass — low music
  13. spring — of water
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. toast — a drink to someone
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. face — to point toward
  18. bass — the fish
  19. face — to confront
  20. spring — the season
  21. mate — to breed
  22. spring — a coil
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. toast — bread

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