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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. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — an eyelash
  2. face — to point toward
  3. current — of water
  4. net — for catching
  5. face — to confront
  6. face — part of the head
  7. net — after costs
  8. lean — to bend
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. land — to come down
  11. current — happening now
  12. squash — to crush
  13. net — in sport
  14. land — a country
  15. land — ground
  16. lean — thin
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. dip — to sink
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. squash — the sport
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. current — electric
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. squash — the vegetable

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