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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: lash · court · land · season · chest · wax · fine · face

  1. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. fine — all right
  3. court — of law
  4. court — of a king
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. face — part of the head
  7. land — ground
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. chest — a box
  10. face — to confront
  11. fine — high quality
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. season — in sport
  15. land — to come down
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. chest — of your body
  18. court — for sport
  19. wax — to grow
  20. season — of the year
  21. chest — of your body
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. land — a country
  24. face — to point toward

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