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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. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. face — part of the head
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. content — the amount
  5. tear — from crying
  6. face — to confront
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. lie — to recline
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. track — a song
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. tear — to rip
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. face — to point toward
  18. deal — to handle
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. bay — a part of the sea
  21. track — to keep track
  22. tear — from crying
  23. track — a path
  24. content — happy

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