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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. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  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. rash — a series
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. spring — of water
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. face — part of the head
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. lie — to recline
  8. face — to confront
  9. rash — hasty
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. mate — to breed
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. fork — in a road
  15. face — to point toward
  16. spring — a coil
  17. mate — a partner
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. spring — the season
  23. mate — a friend
  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