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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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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 · wake · bore · hand · lie · rock · file · ball

  1. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. face — to confront
  3. hand — in cards
  4. file — a tool
  5. bore — to tire
  6. hand — help
  7. face — to point toward
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. bore — to drill
  10. file — a line of people
  11. ball — a dance
  12. face — part of the head
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. ball — a great time
  15. file — a document
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. rock — a stone
  18. rock — music
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. lie — to recline
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. wake — a trail

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