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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. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. dip — to sink
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. lie — to recline
  5. sharp — clever
  6. face — to confront
  7. bound — certain
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. lean — to bend
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. bound — tied together
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. lean — thin
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. face — to point toward
  19. bound — obliged
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. face — part of the head
  24. dip — a sauce

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