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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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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: stick · season · shower · mug · face · sharp · date · lash

  1. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. face — to confront
  3. shower — rain
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. sharp — clever
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. shower — to wash
  8. face — to point toward
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. mug — to rob
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. season — of the year
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. mug — a face
  19. date — the fruit
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. season — in sport
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. mug — a cup

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