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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 120 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 took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. mug — a face
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. drill — the tool
  5. capital — a city
  6. drill — a practice
  7. pit — a hole
  8. lie — to recline
  9. face — part of the head
  10. tear — to rip
  11. drill — army training
  12. face — to confront
  13. tear — from crying
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. pit — in a race
  16. face — to point toward
  17. mug — to rob
  18. mug — a cup
  19. capital — money
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. tear — from crying
  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