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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. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. face — part of the head
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. wound — an injury
  7. face — to confront
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. roll — a list
  11. lie — to recline
  12. wound — an injury
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. rash — a series
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. roll — a cake
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. date — the fruit
  21. face — to point toward
  22. wake — a trail
  23. rash — hasty
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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