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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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. face — part of the head
  4. ball — a great time
  5. drill — the tool
  6. mate — a partner
  7. lie — to recline
  8. dip — to sink
  9. wax — to grow
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. drill — army training
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. hand — help
  16. face — to confront
  17. mate — to breed
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. face — to point toward
  20. hand — in cards
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. ball — a dance
  23. drill — a practice
  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