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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: can · bat · wind · lash · spell · face · chest · mark

  1. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. spell — a short time
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. bat — the animal
  5. chest — of your body
  6. wind — moving air
  7. face — to point toward
  8. spell — letters
  9. chest — a box
  10. can — a tin
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. can — a tin
  13. wind — moving air
  14. face — to confront
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. spell — magic
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. can — to be able to
  19. face — part of the head
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. mark — a grade
  24. mark — a trace

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