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

  1. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. pass — a permit
  3. rest — what's left
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. lie — to recline
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. cold — not warm
  8. cold — an illness
  9. wound — an injury
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. wound — an injury
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. face — to confront
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. rest — what's left
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. face — part of the head
  18. rest — a break

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