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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. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. rest — what's left
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. last — final
  5. branch — a division
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. face — to point toward
  8. mark — a trace
  9. last — finally
  10. face — part of the head
  11. lie — to recline
  12. rest — what's left
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. content — the amount
  15. hand — in cards
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. last — to go on
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. hand — help
  20. content — happy
  21. mark — a grade
  22. face — to confront
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. rest — a break

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