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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. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  2. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. We're on a ________________ here.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. lash — an eyelash
  2. dip — to sink
  3. shower — to wash
  4. rest — a break
  5. rest — what's left
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. roll — a cake
  9. face — to point toward
  10. cold — not warm
  11. rest — what's left
  12. face — to confront
  13. key — in music
  14. key — the most important part
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. roll — on a roll
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. shower — rain
  20. cold — an illness
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. face — part of the head
  23. roll — a list
  24. key — for a lock

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