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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. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. bark — to shout
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. face — part of the head
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. chest — of your body
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. mine — for digging
  11. chest — of your body
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. sharp — clever
  14. rule — a law
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. face — to point toward
  19. chest — a box
  20. lie — to recline
  21. rule — government
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. face — to confront

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