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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. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  24. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. face — to point toward
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. mug — to rob
  6. safe — a strongbox
  7. court — of law
  8. race — the arms race
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. court — of a king
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. race — humankind
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. court — for sport
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. mug — a cup
  17. face — part of the head
  18. race — a contest
  19. mug — a face
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. fork — in a road
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. lash — to lash out

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