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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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. mine — for digging
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. spell — magic
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. roll — a cake
  10. face — to confront
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. spell — a short time
  13. face — to point toward
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. roll — a list
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. lie — to recline
  22. face — part of the head
  23. spell — letters
  24. stand — to bear

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