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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: court · plane · face · wave · ball · straw · lash · hide

  1. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. court — of a king
  4. ball — a dance
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. face — to confront
  7. plane — a tool
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. face — part of the head
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. court — of law
  21. ball — a great time
  22. face — to point toward
  23. wave — a sudden rise
  24. court — for sport

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