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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. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  2. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — to recline
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. chest — of your body
  4. face — to confront
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. wind — moving air
  7. face — part of the head
  8. mine — for digging
  9. wind — moving air
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. chest — a box
  12. chest — of your body
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. face — to point toward
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. branch — a division
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. deal — to handle
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. stand — to bear

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