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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. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. wave — a sudden rise
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. snap — to click
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. rash — hasty
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. rash — a series
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. face — to confront
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. drill — army training
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. drill — a practice
  20. squash — to crush
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. squash — the sport
  23. drill — the tool
  24. face — to point toward

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