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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. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  3. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. plane — in geometry
  4. face — to point toward
  5. face — to confront
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. plane — a tool
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. bat — the animal
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. bear — the animal
  13. lie — to recline
  14. charge — a price
  15. squash — to crush
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. bear — the animal
  18. face — part of the head
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. squash — the sport
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. charge — in control
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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