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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. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — to recline
  2. rest — a break
  3. net — for catching
  4. bore — to tire
  5. track — to keep track
  6. track — a path
  7. rest — what's left
  8. face — part of the head
  9. net — after costs
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. court — for sport
  12. track — a song
  13. net — in sport
  14. face — to confront
  15. bore — to drill
  16. land — to come down
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. rest — what's left
  19. court — of law
  20. face — to point toward
  21. land — ground
  22. land — a country
  23. court — of a king
  24. bore — gave birth

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