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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. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. face — to point toward
  3. face — part of the head
  4. key — in music
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. mate — a friend
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. wound — an injury
  14. key — for a lock
  15. wind — moving air
  16. key — the most important part
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. lie — to recline
  19. chair — a leader
  20. wind — moving air
  21. mate — a partner
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. mate — to breed
  24. wound — an injury

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