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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: pit · band · nail · lash · bear · court · swing · face

  1. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. face — part of the head
  3. band — a ring
  4. face — to point toward
  5. pit — in a race
  6. court — of law
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. pit — a hole
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. face — to confront
  13. bear — the animal
  14. bear — the animal
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. swing — music
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. swing — to play on
  19. band — a music group
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. swing — in golf
  23. court — of a king
  24. court — for 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