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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. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. rule — a law
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. rush — hurry
  9. lie — to recline
  10. face — part of the head
  11. wind — moving air
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. face — to confront
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. wind — moving air
  21. face — to point toward
  22. mine — for digging
  23. rule — government
  24. sharp — exactly

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