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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: dip · face · season · net · track · roll · chair · lash

  1. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. We're on a ________________ here.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. chair — a leader
  3. face — to confront
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. face — to point toward
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. face — part of the head
  9. net — after costs
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. roll — a list
  12. dip — to sink
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. track — to keep track
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. roll — on a roll
  18. season — of the year
  19. track — a path
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. season — in sport
  22. track — a song
  23. roll — a cake
  24. net — in sport

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