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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 116 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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. lie — to recline
  4. face — to point toward
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. spell — a short time
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. wake — a trail
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. kid — to tease
  13. spell — magic
  14. spell — letters
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. kid — child
  17. face — part of the head
  18. patient — a sick person

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