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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. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. lie — to recline
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. wound — an injury
  7. wound — an injury
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. field — for sport
  11. face — part of the head
  12. toast — a drink to someone
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. field — a subject
  15. toast — bread
  16. field — farmland
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. toast — the most admired
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. face — to point toward
  24. face — to confront

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