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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 120 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. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. club — for golf
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. face — to point toward
  6. pop — soda
  7. pass — a permit
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. face — part of the head
  10. cold — not warm
  11. pop — to visit
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. club — for dancing
  14. lie — to recline
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. club — a group
  18. face — to confront
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. pop — music
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. pass — to succeed

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