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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: pitcher · fall · object · staff · rule · clip · face · lash

  1. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. object — an aim
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. fall — the season
  6. object — a thing
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. face — to point toward
  9. rule — government
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. rule — a law
  12. clip — to cut
  13. staff — employees
  14. face — to confront
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. face — part of the head
  17. clip — for paper
  18. clip — a video
  19. fall — to drop
  20. staff — a stick
  21. staff — employees
  22. fall — to drop
  23. object — to protest
  24. pitcher — a jug

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