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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. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. cap — a hat
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. spring — a coil
  5. bass — low music
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. face — part of the head
  10. cap — of ice
  11. sharp — clever
  12. cap — a lid
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. spring — of water
  16. spring — the season
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. face — to point toward
  19. vault — a safe
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. face — to confront
  24. bass — the fish

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