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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. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. The tickets are free of ________________.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. lie — to recline
  3. charge — in control
  4. face — to point toward
  5. stock — goods
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. stock — shares
  9. march — the month
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. march — music
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. charge — electricity
  18. snap — to click
  19. charge — a price
  20. march — the month
  21. wake — a trail
  22. face — part of the head
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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