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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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. face — to confront
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. saw — the tool
  5. wind — moving air
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. face — to point toward
  9. foot — a measure
  10. saw — the tool
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. wind — moving air
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. game — wild animals
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. face — part of the head
  23. game — a match
  24. fine — all right

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