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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: face · hand · rule · object · lie · sharp · game · chest

  1. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. hand — in cards
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. rule — government
  7. chest — of your body
  8. object — to protest
  9. chest — a box
  10. sharp — clever
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. object — an aim
  13. hand — help
  14. rule — a law
  15. face — to point toward
  16. game — wild animals
  17. chest — of your body
  18. face — to confront
  19. face — part of the head
  20. object — a thing
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. lie — to recline
  24. game — a match

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