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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. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. vault — a safe
  7. mug — to rob
  8. wind — moving air
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. mug — a face
  11. face — part of the head
  12. wind — moving air
  13. face — to confront
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. bat — the animal
  20. mug — a cup
  21. dip — to sink
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. bat — for baseball

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