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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: spell · lie · game · straw · track · face · fine · bowl

  1. That was a fun ________________.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. track — to keep track
  3. lie — to recline
  4. face — to confront
  5. spell — a short time
  6. spell — letters
  7. fine — high quality
  8. fine — all right
  9. spell — magic
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. face — to point toward
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. game — wild animals
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. track — a song
  20. face — part of the head
  21. track — a path
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. straw — dry grass

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