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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. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. clip — for paper
  3. face — to confront
  4. ground — crushed
  5. face — to point toward
  6. track — a path
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. ground — a position
  9. face — part of the head
  10. clip — a video
  11. lie — to recline
  12. bore — to drill
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. stem — to come from
  15. bore — to tire
  16. clip — to cut
  17. ground — the earth
  18. track — to keep track
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. track — a song
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. stem — a stem cell

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