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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. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. face — to confront
  4. ground — a position
  5. ground — crushed
  6. file — a line of people
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. last — finally
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. foot — a measure
  13. bat — the animal
  14. file — a tool
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. face — to point toward
  18. ground — the earth
  19. last — final
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. date — the fruit
  22. file — a document
  23. last — to go on
  24. lie — to recline

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