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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. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. face — part of the head
  6. face — to point toward
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. rest — what's left
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. chest — of your body
  11. fork — in a road
  12. sharp — clever
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. face — to confront
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. rest — a break
  17. rest — what's left
  18. chest — of your body
  19. deal — to handle
  20. lie — to recline
  21. wake — a trail
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. chest — a box

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