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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. We're on a ________________ here.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — on a roll
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. face — to confront
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. face — to point toward
  7. game — a match
  8. swing — to play on
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. game — wild animals
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. roll — a list
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. plane — a tool
  16. roll — a cake
  17. tear — from crying
  18. tear — from crying
  19. face — part of the head
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. swing — in golf
  22. tear — to rip
  23. swing — music
  24. snap — to click

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