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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. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. row — a line
  4. ball — a great time
  5. face — to point toward
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. face — part of the head
  8. mate — a partner
  9. scale — in music
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. chair — a leader
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. scale — size or range
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. row — to paddle
  19. mate — a friend
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. ball — a dance
  22. wind — moving air
  23. wind — moving air
  24. mate — to breed

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