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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. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. can — a tin
  3. rest — what's left
  4. lie — to recline
  5. rest — a break
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. can — to be able to
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. face — to confront
  12. face — part of the head
  13. plane — a tool
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. chest — of your body
  17. rest — what's left
  18. can — a tin
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. chest — a box
  23. chest — of your body
  24. straw — a straw man

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