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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. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. face — to confront
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. club — for dancing
  6. cold — an illness
  7. pass — to spend time
  8. court — of a king
  9. court — of law
  10. face — to point toward
  11. pass — a permit
  12. chip — to eat
  13. plane — a tool
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. lie — to recline
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. court — for sport
  18. club — a group
  19. chip — for betting
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. club — for golf
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. face — part of the head
  24. cold — not warm

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