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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. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. file — a tool
  3. sharp — clever
  4. face — to confront
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. pop — to visit
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. foot — a measure
  11. face — to point toward
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. mine — for digging
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. face — part of the head
  20. lie — to recline
  21. file — a document
  22. pop — music
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. file — a line of people

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