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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. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  2. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — to spread on bread
  2. kick — in football
  3. staff — employees
  4. scale — size or range
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. present — there
  7. staff — employees
  8. jam — a tight spot
  9. face — to confront
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. face — part of the head
  12. staff — a stick
  13. scale — in music
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. present — a gift
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. saw — the tool
  18. saw — the tool
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. present — the time now
  22. jam — in traffic
  23. face — to point toward
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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