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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 120 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: ball · wind · face · kick · suit · bat · lash · spell

  1. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. When will it ________________ you to start?
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — clothes
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. bat — the animal
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. spell — magic
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. face — part of the head
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. wind — moving air
  11. suit — to fit
  12. wind — moving air
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. ball — a dance
  15. face — to confront
  16. kick — in football
  17. spell — a short time
  18. spell — letters
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. suit — in cards
  21. ball — a great time
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. face — to point toward
  24. kick — with a leg

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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