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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. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. fine — high quality
  3. ball — a dance
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. fine — all right
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. lie — to recline
  9. face — to confront
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. bass — low music
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. ball — a great time
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. stock — shares
  16. stock — goods
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. wind — moving air
  19. bass — the fish
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. wind — moving air
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. face — part of the head
  24. face — to point toward

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