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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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. kid — child
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. pass — to spend time
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. pass — a permit
  9. chest — of your body
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. chest — a box
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. face — to point toward
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. dip — to sink
  19. chest — of your body
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. lie — to recline
  23. face — to confront
  24. face — part of the head

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