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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. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. root — of a plant
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. wind — moving air
  7. face — to point toward
  8. spell — magic
  9. spell — letters
  10. row — a line
  11. mate — a friend
  12. wind — moving air
  13. kick — in football
  14. mate — a partner
  15. root — of a word
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. row — to paddle
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. spell — a short time
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. mate — to breed
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. face — to confront
  24. root — the cause

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