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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 124 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. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. My mare is ________________ in color.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. face — to confront
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. key — for a lock
  5. key — the most important part
  6. saw — the tool
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. row — a line
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. key — in music
  11. bay — a part of the sea
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. lie — to recline
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. chest — of your body
  16. row — to paddle
  17. chest — a box
  18. bay — a horse colour
  19. face — to point toward
  20. chest — of your body
  21. face — part of the head
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. date — the fruit
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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