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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: toast · lash · face · mate · tear · can · cell · board

  1. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — an eyelash
  2. face — to confront
  3. toast — the most admired
  4. mate — a partner
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. face — part of the head
  7. mate — a friend
  8. cell — a phone
  9. can — a tin
  10. tear — from crying
  11. mate — to breed
  12. can — a tin
  13. board — to get on
  14. face — to point toward
  15. tear — to rip
  16. toast — a drink to someone
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. can — to be able to
  21. board — a committee
  22. toast — bread
  23. tear — from crying
  24. cell — in biology

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