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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 124 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. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. cell — a phone
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. lie — to recline
  5. face — to confront
  6. ruler — a monarch
  7. face — part of the head
  8. staff — employees
  9. tube — the underground
  10. vault — a safe
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. tube — a container
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. cold — not warm
  19. staff — a stick
  20. cell — in biology
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. staff — employees
  24. cold — an illness

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