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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: wind · jam · face · lash · march · firm · toast · capital

  1. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  7. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  12. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  15. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. march — the month
  3. wind — moving air
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. face — to point toward
  6. jam — in traffic
  7. jam — to spread on bread
  8. face — part of the head
  9. jam — a tight spot
  10. march — the month
  11. toast — bread
  12. firm — a company
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. firm — decided
  15. toast — the most admired
  16. march — music
  17. firm — steady
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. toast — a drink to someone
  20. face — to confront
  21. capital — money
  22. capital — a city
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. wind — moving air

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