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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 ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. net — in sport
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. face — to point toward
  9. capital — a city
  10. lean — thin
  11. face — to confront
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. lean — to bend
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. capital — money
  17. net — after costs
  18. net — for catching
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. face — part of the head
  24. leaves — to go away

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