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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 120 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. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. file — a tool
  3. court — for sport
  4. court — of law
  5. rash — hasty
  6. court — of a king
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. lean — to bend
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. club — a group
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. club — for golf
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. file — a document
  16. scale — in music
  17. face — to confront
  18. rash — a series
  19. file — a line of people
  20. club — for dancing
  21. lean — thin
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. face — to point toward
  24. scale — size or range

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