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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. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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. kick — in football
  4. track — a song
  5. track — to keep track
  6. track — a path
  7. face — to point toward
  8. face — part of the head
  9. last — final
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. clip — for paper
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. lie — to recline
  15. squash — the sport
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. last — finally
  18. clip — a video
  19. board — to get on
  20. squash — to crush
  21. board — a committee
  22. clip — to cut
  23. last — to go on
  24. board — a flat piece

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