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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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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. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  19. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. temple — side of the head
  4. cap — a hat
  5. face — to confront
  6. kid — to tease
  7. spring — the season
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. face — to point toward
  12. cap — of ice
  13. firm — decided
  14. face — part of the head
  15. kid — child
  16. spring — of water
  17. cap — a lid
  18. firm — a company
  19. firm — steady
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. kick — in football
  22. spring — a coil
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. kick — a thrill

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