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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 120 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. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. chest — a box
  3. ground — crushed
  4. scale — size or range
  5. net — in sport
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. wake — a trail
  8. chest — of your body
  9. ground — a position
  10. lie — to recline
  11. ground — the earth
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. net — after costs
  15. face — to confront
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. current — of water
  18. current — happening now
  19. current — electric
  20. chest — of your body
  21. scale — in music
  22. face — part of the head
  23. face — to point toward
  24. net — for catching

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