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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. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. spell — letters
  4. race — humankind
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. spell — a short time
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. face — to point toward
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. spell — magic
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. race — a contest
  18. race — the arms race
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. bass — the fish
  21. bass — low music
  22. face — to confront
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. coach — a trainer

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