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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: kick · last · lash · court · spring · content · face · track

  1. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. last — to go on
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. kick — in football
  7. face — part of the head
  8. content — happy
  9. track — to keep track
  10. face — to point toward
  11. track — a path
  12. last — final
  13. spring — of water
  14. court — for sport
  15. face — to confront
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. track — a song
  18. court — of a king
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. content — the amount
  21. spring — the season
  22. court — of law
  23. last — finally
  24. content — videos and posts

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