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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 116 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. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. cell — in biology
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. face — part of the head
  9. bat — the animal
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. bark — to shout
  15. face — to confront
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. cell — a phone

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