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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. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  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. face — to confront
  2. file — a tool
  3. firm — a company
  4. cell — a phone
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. file — a line of people
  7. lie — to recline
  8. capital — a city
  9. bore — to tire
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. file — a document
  12. firm — decided
  13. stock — goods
  14. face — to point toward
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. firm — steady
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. stock — shares
  19. capital — money
  20. face — part of the head
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. bore — to drill
  23. cell — in biology
  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