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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. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  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. face — to point toward
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. net — in sport
  4. face — part of the head
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. shower — rain
  7. file — a line of people
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. chip — for betting
  10. file — a tool
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. net — after costs
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. row — to paddle
  16. file — a document
  17. net — for catching
  18. shower — to wash
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. chip — to eat
  22. row — a line
  23. lie — to recline
  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