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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. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. We're on a ________________ here.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. roll — on a roll
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. bulb — for light
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. snap — to click
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. ground — the earth
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. roll — a list
  13. bulb — for light
  14. ground — crushed
  15. face — to point toward
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. face — to confront
  18. roll — a cake
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. sharp — clever
  21. face — part of the head
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. ground — a position

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