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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. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. ball — a dance
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. pitch — completely
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. face — to point toward
  7. face — part of the head
  8. rest — a break
  9. land — a country
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. rest — what's left
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. rash — a series
  16. rest — what's left
  17. bound — tied together
  18. bound — obliged
  19. face — to confront
  20. ball — a great time
  21. bound — certain
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. land — to come down
  24. rash — hasty

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