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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. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. face — to point toward
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. bound — tied together
  5. bound — obliged
  6. rash — hasty
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. bound — certain
  9. kid — child
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. prune — to trim
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. face — to confront
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. prune — to trim
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. kid — to tease
  23. rash — a series
  24. face — part of the head

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