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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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. chest — of your body
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. bore — to tire
  6. chest — a box
  7. face — to point toward
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. face — to confront
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. pitch — completely
  12. object — a thing
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. object — an aim
  18. object — to protest
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. chest — of your body
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. bore — to drill
  23. face — part of the head
  24. lie — to recline

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