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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. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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. shower — rain
  4. lie — to recline
  5. chest — a box
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. chest — of your body
  8. season — of the year
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. face — to confront
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. cold — not warm
  13. rush — hurry
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. shower — to wash
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. face — part of the head
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. season — in sport
  23. chest — of your body
  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