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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. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. The tickets are free of ________________.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. tear — to rip
  3. face — to point toward
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. saw — the tool
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. charge — a price
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. tear — from crying
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. tear — from crying
  15. charge — electricity
  16. face — to confront
  17. lie — to recline
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. charge — in control
  21. game — a match
  22. saw — the tool
  23. game — wild animals
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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