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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. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. board — to get on
  3. fine — all right
  4. fine — high quality
  5. pitch — completely
  6. face — to confront
  7. mark — a grade
  8. board — a committee
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. saw — the tool
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. face — to point toward
  13. saw — the tool
  14. hand — in cards
  15. mark — a trace
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. hand — help
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. face — part of the head
  24. board — a flat piece

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