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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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. cold — not warm
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. lie — to recline
  7. cold — an illness
  8. face — to confront
  9. bound — certain
  10. face — part of the head
  11. face — to point toward
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. saw — the tool
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. saw — the tool
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. bound — tied together
  21. bound — obliged
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. lie — an untruth

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