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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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  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. present — a gift
  2. rash — a series
  3. lie — to recline
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. present — the time now
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. chip — to eat
  8. present — there
  9. mug — a cup
  10. bass — the fish
  11. face — to point toward
  12. mug — to rob
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. mug — a face
  15. rash — hasty
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. bear — the animal
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. chip — for betting
  21. face — to confront
  22. bass — low music
  23. bear — the animal
  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