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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. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. Have you settled on a ________________?
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. last — final
  4. face — to confront
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. last — finally
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. last — to go on
  12. date — the fruit
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. face — part of the head
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. file — a document
  18. bear — the animal
  19. face — to point toward
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. bear — the animal
  22. file — a tool
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. file — a line of people

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