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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. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  18. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. face — to confront
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. lie — to recline
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. field — a subject
  10. hand — help
  11. face — part of the head
  12. hand — in cards
  13. field — for sport
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. field — farmland
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. ruler — a monarch
  19. bear — the animal
  20. wake — a trail
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. bear — the animal
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. cabinet — ministers

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