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

Word bank: stick · bound · hide · lash · face · game · deal · row

  1. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. bound — obliged
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. face — part of the head
  7. bound — certain
  8. bound — tied together
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. row — to paddle
  16. game — a match
  17. deal — to handle
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. game — wild animals
  20. row — a line
  21. face — to confront
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. face — to point toward
  24. game — a kind of play

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