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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. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — an eyelash
  2. face — part of the head
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. kid — to tease
  6. face — to confront
  7. band — a music group
  8. rest — what's left
  9. rest — a break
  10. band — a ring
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. squash — the sport
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. field — a subject
  15. face — to point toward
  16. field — farmland
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. rest — what's left
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. squash — to crush
  21. kid — child
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. lie — to recline
  24. field — for sport

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