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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. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. The tickets are free of ________________.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. tear — from crying
  4. ball — a great time
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. ball — a dance
  7. swing — music
  8. swing — in golf
  9. face — to point toward
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. tear — from crying
  12. swing — to play on
  13. charge — electricity
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. face — to confront
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. shower — to wash
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. lie — to recline
  20. charge — in control
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. tear — to rip
  23. charge — a price
  24. shower — rain

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