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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. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. cold — an illness
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. lie — to recline
  5. face — to confront
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. pass — a permit
  8. cold — not warm
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. track — a song
  12. pass — to succeed
  13. track — to keep track
  14. face — part of the head
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. track — a path
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. prune — to trim
  19. face — to point toward
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. chip — to eat
  22. chip — for betting
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. prune — to trim

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