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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. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. bat — the animal
  4. march — music
  5. lie — to recline
  6. content — happy
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. march — the month
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. perch — the fish
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. face — to point toward
  16. content — the amount
  17. march — the month
  18. face — part of the head
  19. fine — all right
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. fine — high quality
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. bat — for baseball

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