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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: file · temple · pit · deal · shower · face · hand · lie

  1. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. file — a document
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. hand — help
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. file — a line of people
  11. shower — rain
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. lie — to recline
  14. file — a tool
  15. deal — to handle
  16. shower — to wash
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. face — to point toward
  19. face — to confront
  20. pit — in a race
  21. face — part of the head
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. hand — in cards
  24. temple — a place of worship

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