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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. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. squash — to crush
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. net — in sport
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. land — a country
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. net — after costs
  10. chest — a box
  11. chest — of your body
  12. object — to protest
  13. net — for catching
  14. land — ground
  15. squash — the sport
  16. lie — to recline
  17. face — to confront
  18. object — a thing
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. object — an aim
  21. chest — of your body
  22. face — part of the head
  23. face — to point toward
  24. land — to come down

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