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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 120 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. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. face — to point toward
  3. row — a line
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. march — the month
  6. march — the month
  7. firm — decided
  8. staff — employees
  9. face — part of the head
  10. saw — the tool
  11. lie — to recline
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. firm — steady
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. march — music
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. staff — a stick
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. staff — employees
  21. row — to paddle
  22. firm — a company
  23. saw — the tool
  24. hide — animal skin

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