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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. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  3. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. stick — to attach or keep to
  3. roll — a cake
  4. spell — magic
  5. tube — a container
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. face — to confront
  8. roll — a list
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. spell — a short time
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. spell — letters
  15. field — farmland
  16. face — part of the head
  17. lie — to recline
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. tube — the underground
  21. field — for sport
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. face — to point toward
  24. field — a subject

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