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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. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. face — to point toward
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. squash — to crush
  5. toast — a drink to someone
  6. wound — an injury
  7. rock — a stone
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. face — part of the head
  11. toast — bread
  12. file — a tool
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. lie — to recline
  16. file — a line of people
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. wound — an injury
  20. squash — the sport
  21. toast — the most admired
  22. rock — music
  23. file — a document
  24. face — to confront

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