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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. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. My mare is ________________ in color.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. kid — child
  4. pop — music
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. rock — a stone
  9. rock — music
  10. mate — a friend
  11. bay — a horse colour
  12. kid — to tease
  13. face — to point toward
  14. mate — a partner
  15. pop — to visit
  16. lie — to recline
  17. bay — to keep at bay
  18. face — part of the head
  19. cold — not warm
  20. mate — to breed
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. bay — a part of the sea
  23. pop — soda
  24. face — to confront

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