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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. I can't ________________ this cold.
  2. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. The ________________ took off on time.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. bear — the animal
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. file — a tool
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. face — to point toward
  8. file — a document
  9. stand — for spectators
  10. bear — the animal
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. plane — a tool
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. face — part of the head
  16. bat — the animal
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. fork — in a road
  22. file — a line of people
  23. lie — to recline
  24. face — to confront

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