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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. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. bank — of a river
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. bank — for money
  6. bat — the animal
  7. lie — to recline
  8. season — in sport
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. season — of the year
  11. face — part of the head
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. row — to paddle
  15. chair — a leader
  16. row — a line
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. face — to confront
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. rash — a series
  22. bank — for money
  23. rash — hasty
  24. face — to point toward

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