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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. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. pit — in a race
  4. pit — a hole
  5. face — to point toward
  6. net — in sport
  7. net — for catching
  8. wound — an injury
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. lean — thin
  15. rush — hurry
  16. lie — to recline
  17. net — after costs
  18. face — to confront
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. wound — an injury
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. lean — to bend
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  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