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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: bowl · race · lash · present · hide · chest · face · spring

  1. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. spring — the season
  3. present — the time now
  4. spring — of water
  5. race — a contest
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. face — to confront
  9. chest — a box
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. race — humankind
  12. spring — a coil
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. race — the arms race
  15. chest — of your body
  16. chest — of your body
  17. present — a gift
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. present — there
  20. face — to point toward
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. face — part of the head

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