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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 120 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. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. clip — for paper
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. wake — a trail
  6. bulb — for light
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. chest — of your body
  9. lie — to recline
  10. clip — to cut
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. pass — a permit
  14. face — part of the head
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. face — to point toward
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. bulb — for light
  19. chest — of your body
  20. chest — a box
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. clip — a video
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. pass — to succeed

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