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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: kid · lash · deal · branch · bat · face · mark · chair

  1. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. mark — a trace
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. face — part of the head
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. deal — to handle
  9. face — to confront
  10. branch — a division
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. kid — to tease
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. kid — child
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. chair — a leader
  17. bat — the animal
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. face — to point toward
  24. mark — a grade

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