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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. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  7. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. When will it ________________ you to start?
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. face — to point toward
  3. face — to confront
  4. face — part of the head
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. suit — in cards
  7. suit — clothes
  8. sharp — clever
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. bound — obliged
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. bound — tied together
  17. suit — to fit
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. bass — the fish
  20. bound — certain
  21. bear — the animal
  22. bear — the animal
  23. bass — low music
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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