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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. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  2. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. object — an aim
  2. roll — a list
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. face — part of the head
  5. charge — in control
  6. ground — crushed
  7. roll — a cake
  8. charge — electricity
  9. charge — a price
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. ground — the earth
  13. object — a thing
  14. wound — an injury
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. face — to confront
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. face — to point toward
  20. object — to protest
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. wound — an injury
  23. ground — a position
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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