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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. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. Have you settled on a ________________?
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. lie — to recline
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. face — to point toward
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. press — to push
  8. club — for golf
  9. wound — an injury
  10. press — a publisher
  11. club — a group
  12. face — part of the head
  13. club — for dancing
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. date — the fruit
  16. face — to confront
  17. press — newspapers
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. wound — an injury
  23. fine — high quality
  24. fine — all right

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