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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. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. face — to point toward
  5. file — a tool
  6. plane — a tool
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. swing — to play on
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. face — part of the head
  13. file — a line of people
  14. lie — to recline
  15. chair — a leader
  16. dip — to sink
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. wax — to grow
  19. face — to confront
  20. swing — music
  21. swing — in golf
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. file — a document
  24. lie — an untruth

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