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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. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. face — to confront
  3. prune — to trim
  4. face — to point toward
  5. land — ground
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. tear — from crying
  8. pit — in a race
  9. chip — to eat
  10. rest — a break
  11. chip — for betting
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. land — to come down
  15. pit — a hole
  16. rest — what's left
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. lie — to recline
  19. face — part of the head
  20. prune — to trim
  21. land — a country
  22. rest — what's left
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. tear — to rip

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