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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. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. face — to point toward
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. kid — child
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. kid — to tease
  9. drill — a practice
  10. capital — a city
  11. dip — to sink
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. face — to confront
  14. drill — the tool
  15. capital — money
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. pit — in a race
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. lie — to recline
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. drill — army training
  24. face — part 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