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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. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  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. face — to point toward
  2. face — part of the head
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. bat — the animal
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. face — to confront
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. lie — to recline
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. hand — in cards
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. hand — help
  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