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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. wound — an injury
  3. squash — to crush
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. face — part of the head
  8. wound — an injury
  9. last — to go on
  10. face — to confront
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. court — of a king
  13. court — for sport
  14. bear — the animal
  15. row — a line
  16. squash — the sport
  17. face — to point toward
  18. court — of law
  19. row — to paddle
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. lie — to recline
  22. last — final
  23. bear — the animal
  24. squash — the vegetable

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