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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. That must've been a ________________.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  13. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. cold — an illness
  3. cell — a phone
  4. ball — a dance
  5. face — to confront
  6. toast — bread
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. cell — in biology
  9. cold — not warm
  10. ball — a great time
  11. face — to point toward
  12. toast — a drink to someone
  13. toast — the most admired
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. face — part of the head
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. rush — hurry
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. cold — the Cold War

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