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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. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. face — to confront
  3. mark — a trace
  4. march — the month
  5. mark — a grade
  6. saw — the tool
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. march — music
  9. march — the month
  10. press — to push
  11. press — a publisher
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. season — in sport
  15. track — to keep track
  16. face — to point toward
  17. face — part of the head
  18. season — of the year
  19. press — newspapers
  20. track — a song
  21. saw — the tool
  22. track — a path
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. lie — to recline

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