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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. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. We're on a ________________ here.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. season — of the year
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. roll — a cake
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. saw — the tool
  11. saw — the tool
  12. lie — to recline
  13. season — in sport
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. face — to point toward
  16. roll — on a roll
  17. wax — to grow
  18. face — to confront
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. roll — a list
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. coach — a trainer

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