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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. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. mug — a face
  3. cell — in biology
  4. mug — to rob
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. cell — a phone
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. face — to confront
  9. mug — a cup
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. bank — for money
  12. plane — a tool
  13. bank — for money
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. bank — of a river
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. face — part of the head
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. lie — to recline
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. wake — a trail

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