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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. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. lie — to recline
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. face — to confront
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. game — wild animals
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. mark — a trace
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. sharp — clever
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. game — a match
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. face — to point toward
  22. mark — a grade
  23. wind — moving air
  24. wind — moving air

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