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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. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. mug — a face
  3. present — a gift
  4. mark — a grade
  5. present — there
  6. mark — a trace
  7. mug — to rob
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. present — the time now
  10. march — music
  11. face — to point toward
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. kid — child
  14. wind — moving air
  15. lie — to recline
  16. mug — a cup
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. march — the month
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. face — to confront
  21. march — the month
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. kid — to tease
  24. wind — moving air

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