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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. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. lie — to recline
  3. mark — a trace
  4. face — part of the head
  5. ground — crushed
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. cell — in biology
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. degree — temperature
  11. degree — from a university
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. degree — an amount
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. ruler — a monarch
  16. cell — a phone
  17. face — to confront
  18. ground — a position
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. mark — a grade
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. wake — a trail
  23. ground — the earth
  24. face — to point toward

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