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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 muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. staff — a stick
  3. face — to confront
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. hand — help
  7. track — a song
  8. staff — employees
  9. hand — in cards
  10. face — to point toward
  11. bore — to tire
  12. land — to come down
  13. saw — the tool
  14. land — a country
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. face — part of the head
  17. staff — employees
  18. saw — the tool
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. lie — to recline
  21. track — to keep track
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. land — ground
  24. bore — to drill

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