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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. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — to recline
  2. face — to confront
  3. can — a tin
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. face — to point toward
  6. pit — a hole
  7. pit — in a race
  8. band — a music group
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. hand — in cards
  12. track — a path
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. track — a song
  15. hand — help
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. band — a ring
  18. can — to be able to
  19. track — to keep track
  20. rash — a series
  21. face — part of the head
  22. rash — hasty
  23. can — a tin
  24. rash — on the 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