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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. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  2. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — to recline
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. capital — money
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. row — a line
  7. face — to point toward
  8. cap — a hat
  9. cap — a lid
  10. face — part of the head
  11. lean — to bend
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. stock — shares
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. face — to confront
  17. capital — a city
  18. bulb — for light
  19. bulb — for light
  20. lean — thin
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. cap — of ice
  23. row — to paddle
  24. stock — goods

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