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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: fine · face · row · fork · mouse · bat · cue · lash

  1. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. face — to confront
  3. cue — for pool
  4. row — to paddle
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. row — a line
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. bat — the animal
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. fork — in a road
  15. cue — a signal
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. cue — a hint
  19. fine — high quality
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. face — part of the head
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. face — to point toward
  24. mouse — the animal

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