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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. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. rest — what's left
  3. lie — to recline
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. face — to point toward
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. rest — a break
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. bore — to tire
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. season — in sport
  12. face — part of the head
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. staff — employees
  16. season — of the year
  17. staff — a stick
  18. mine — for digging
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. bore — to drill
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. staff — employees
  23. rest — what's left
  24. temple — side of the head

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