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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. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. ball — a great time
  3. bat — the animal
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. ball — a dance
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. face — to confront
  9. drill — army training
  10. drill — the tool
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. drill — a practice
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. face — part of the head
  21. lean — thin
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. face — to point toward
  24. kick — in football

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