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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 116 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. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  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. mug — a face
  2. lie — to recline
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. cap — a hat
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. pit — in a race
  7. saw — the tool
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. mug — a cup
  10. face — to confront
  11. cap — a lid
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. cap — of ice
  15. pit — a hole
  16. bass — low music
  17. saw — the tool
  18. face — to point toward
  19. bass — the fish
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. face — part of the head
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. mug — to rob
  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