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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: rush · bat · court · lash · straw · ground · face · pound

  1. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. ground — the earth
  6. court — of law
  7. court — of a king
  8. pound — a weight
  9. face — to point toward
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. bat — the animal
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. rush — hurry
  19. face — to confront
  20. ground — crushed
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. court — for sport
  24. ground — a position

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