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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. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. march — the month
  3. face — to confront
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. face — to point toward
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. march — music
  8. face — part of the head
  9. swing — music
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. hand — in cards
  13. hand — help
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. kid — child
  16. swing — in golf
  17. kid — to tease
  18. stand — on your feet
  19. stand — to bear
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. march — the month
  23. swing — to play on
  24. hand — part of the body

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