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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. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. chest — a box
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. chest — of your body
  5. face — part of the head
  6. lie — to recline
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. face — to confront
  9. key — the most important part
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. face — to point toward
  12. last — to go on
  13. chest — of your body
  14. last — final
  15. last — finally
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. wound — an injury
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. wound — an injury
  20. key — for a lock
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. key — in music

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