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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. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. hand — help
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. hand — in cards
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. face — part of the head
  8. wake — a trail
  9. present — a gift
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. rash — a series
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. face — to point toward
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. lie — to recline
  16. rash — hasty
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. vault — a safe
  21. face — to confront
  22. present — there
  23. present — the time now
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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