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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
468
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: lash · arm · net · sharp · spell · face · court · pit

  1. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. spell — letters
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. sharp — clever
  5. court — for sport
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. spell — a short time
  8. court — of law
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. pit — a hole
  12. face — to confront
  13. net — after costs
  14. face — part of the head
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. face — to point toward
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. court — of a king
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. net — for catching
  22. pit — in a race
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. net — in sport

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