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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: lash · deal · face · swing · dip · bat · band · chair

  1. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — an eyelash
  2. face — to point toward
  3. deal — to handle
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. dip — to sink
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. chair — a leader
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. face — part of the head
  17. face — to confront
  18. band — a music group
  19. swing — music
  20. swing — in golf
  21. swing — to play on
  22. bat — the animal
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. band — a ring

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