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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. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. face — to confront
  3. cap — of ice
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. board — a committee
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. rash — hasty
  9. face — to point toward
  10. wax — to grow
  11. kid — child
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. present — a gift
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. cap — a hat
  17. kid — to tease
  18. cap — a lid
  19. board — to get on
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. present — the time now
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. present — there
  24. rash — a series

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