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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 ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. face — to point toward
  3. spell — letters
  4. cap — of ice
  5. face — to confront
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. hand — in cards
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. craft — boats
  10. rest — a break
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. face — part of the head
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. cap — a lid
  15. spell — magic
  16. craft — a skill
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. dip — to sink
  19. spell — a short time
  20. cap — a hat
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. rest — what's left
  23. hand — help
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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