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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. That must've been a ________________.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. face — part of the head
  5. face — to confront
  6. drill — the tool
  7. lie — to recline
  8. game — a match
  9. tear — from crying
  10. drill — army training
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. lean — to bend
  13. rush — hurry
  14. face — to point toward
  15. drill — a practice
  16. lean — thin
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. pit — a hole
  20. game — wild animals
  21. pit — in a race
  22. tear — from crying
  23. tear — to rip
  24. lie — an untruth

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