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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. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. prune — to trim
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. face — to point toward
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. object — a thing
  9. hand — in cards
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. object — to protest
  14. object — an aim
  15. face — to confront
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. date — the fruit
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. prune — to trim
  21. ball — a dance
  22. hand — help
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. face — part of the head

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