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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 116 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. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. spring — the season
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. bat — the animal
  5. spring — of water
  6. rest — a break
  7. rest — what's left
  8. face — to point toward
  9. season — in sport
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. face — part of the head
  12. rest — what's left
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. board — a committee
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. pound — a weight
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. board — to get on
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. season — of the year
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. spring — a coil
  23. face — to confront
  24. bat — in an idiom

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