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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. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. charge — a price
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. wind — moving air
  6. cell — in biology
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. bear — the animal
  9. rash — a series
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. rash — hasty
  14. charge — electricity
  15. face — to point toward
  16. bear — the animal
  17. wind — moving air
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. face — part of the head
  20. cell — a phone
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. charge — in control
  24. lie — to recline

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