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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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  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. season — to add flavour
  2. season — of the year
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. face — part of the head
  5. pop — soda
  6. file — a line of people
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. scale — size or range
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. scale — in music
  13. season — in sport
  14. face — to point toward
  15. vault — a safe
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. file — a document
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. pop — to visit
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. file — a tool
  23. face — to confront
  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