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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. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. Have you settled on a ________________?
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. ground — crushed
  3. file — a line of people
  4. dip — to sink
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. date — the fruit
  7. face — to point toward
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. file — a document
  14. lie — to recline
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. hand — in cards
  17. ground — a position
  18. stem — to come from
  19. file — a tool
  20. hand — help
  21. face — to confront
  22. ground — the earth
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. face — part of the head

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