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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 120 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. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. field — for sport
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. face — to point toward
  13. safe — a strongbox
  14. vault — a safe
  15. field — a subject
  16. shower — to wash
  17. lie — to recline
  18. face — to confront
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. shower — rain
  21. field — farmland
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. lie — an untruth

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