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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. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  2. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. wave — of the sea
  3. cold — not warm
  4. firm — steady
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. tear — to rip
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. tear — from crying
  12. press — to push
  13. press — a publisher
  14. cold — an illness
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. firm — a company
  17. scale — in music
  18. firm — decided
  19. press — newspapers
  20. lie — to recline
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. tear — from crying
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. scale — size or range

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