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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. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. When was this ________________ built?
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. face — to point toward
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. rash — a series
  8. snap — to click
  9. face — to confront
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. scale — in music
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. row — a line
  14. tear — from crying
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. tear — from crying
  17. tear — to rip
  18. face — part of the head
  19. row — to paddle
  20. scale — size or range
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. rash — hasty

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