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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 116 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. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. stand — to bear
  3. mine — for digging
  4. face — part of the head
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. mug — to rob
  9. wake — a trail
  10. hand — in cards
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. mug — a face
  14. stand — for spectators
  15. mug — a cup
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. bat — the animal
  18. lie — to recline
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. hand — help
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. face — to confront
  24. face — to point toward

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