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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: kick · face · season · shower · court · lash · mark · fan

  1. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. season — of the year
  3. face — to point toward
  4. court — of law
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. mark — a trace
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. court — of a king
  10. face — part of the head
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. shower — to wash
  13. face — to confront
  14. shower — rain
  15. court — for sport
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. season — in sport
  18. mark — a grade
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. kick — in football
  24. fan — a supporter

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