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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 116 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. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. bore — to tire
  3. cell — in biology
  4. face — part of the head
  5. bore — to drill
  6. tear — to rip
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. clip — for paper
  9. lie — to recline
  10. tear — from crying
  11. clip — a video
  12. clip — to cut
  13. mate — a partner
  14. key — in music
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. face — to confront
  17. mate — to breed
  18. tear — from crying
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. key — for a lock
  21. face — to point toward
  22. mate — a friend
  23. key — the most important part
  24. cell — a phone

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