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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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: chair · pitcher · rash · temple · net · face · squash · lash

  1. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. When was this ________________ built?
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. rash — hasty
  5. face — part of the head
  6. net — in sport
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. face — to confront
  11. net — for catching
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. chair — a leader
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. squash — to crush
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. net — after costs
  22. squash — the sport
  23. rash — a series
  24. face — to point toward

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