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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 120 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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468
Word bank
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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. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — an eyelash
  2. fall — to drop
  3. pop — soda
  4. charge — in control
  5. charge — a price
  6. pop — to visit
  7. fall — the season
  8. spell — a short time
  9. degree — from a university
  10. face — to point toward
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. charge — electricity
  15. fall — to drop
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. face — part of the head
  19. degree — an amount
  20. spell — magic
  21. degree — temperature
  22. face — to confront
  23. spell — letters
  24. pop — music

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