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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 116 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. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. staff — employees
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. face — to point toward
  6. perch — the fish
  7. cold — an illness
  8. mate — a partner
  9. face — part of the head
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. cold — not warm
  14. face — to confront
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. fine — high quality
  17. ball — a great time
  18. staff — a stick
  19. fine — all right
  20. ball — a dance
  21. mate — a friend
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. mate — to breed
  24. fine — a penalty

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