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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 116 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. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. face — part of the head
  3. chip — for betting
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. ruler — a monarch
  6. lie — to recline
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. tube — a container
  11. drill — the tool
  12. band — a ring
  13. chip — to eat
  14. band — a music group
  15. drill — army training
  16. tube — the underground
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. drill — a practice
  21. content — the amount
  22. face — to point toward
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. content — happy

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