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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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Word bank
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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. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. When was this ________________ built?
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. net — after costs
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. face — to confront
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. degree — an amount
  9. lean — to bend
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. net — for catching
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. degree — from a university
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. face — part of the head
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. face — to point toward
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. lean — thin
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. degree — temperature
  23. net — in sport
  24. coach — a trainer

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