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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. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. last — to go on
  3. lie — to recline
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. press — a publisher
  9. face — part of the head
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. squash — to crush
  12. saw — the tool
  13. press — newspapers
  14. saw — the tool
  15. press — to push
  16. last — final
  17. face — to point toward
  18. face — to confront
  19. squash — the sport
  20. wind — moving air
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. last — finally
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. wind — moving air

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