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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. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. spell — magic
  3. row — to paddle
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. chest — of your body
  6. cap — of ice
  7. lie — to recline
  8. chest — of your body
  9. face — part of the head
  10. ball — a great time
  11. cap — a hat
  12. row — a line
  13. spell — a short time
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. kid — child
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. ball — a dance
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. cap — a lid
  20. spell — letters
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. face — to confront
  23. chest — a box
  24. kid — to tease

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