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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. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. net — in sport
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. dip — to sink
  6. saw — the tool
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. net — for catching
  9. temple — side of the head
  10. last — to go on
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. last — final
  13. face — to confront
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. snap — to click
  17. face — to point toward
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. last — finally
  21. net — after costs
  22. saw — the tool
  23. lie — to recline
  24. temple — a place of worship

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