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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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  6. We're on a ________________ here.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  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. fine — high quality
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. roll — a list
  4. ground — crushed
  5. wave — of the sea
  6. roll — on a roll
  7. lie — to recline
  8. rash — a series
  9. fine — all right
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. roll — a cake
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. ground — the earth
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. rash — hasty
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. face — part of the head
  18. face — to point toward
  19. game — a match
  20. ground — a position
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. game — wild animals
  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