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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 · file · scale · lean · lie · bark · sharp · race

  1. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. face — to point toward
  3. sharp — clever
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. lean — thin
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. race — humankind
  9. face — to confront
  10. lean — to bend
  11. file — a line of people
  12. scale — size or range
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. lie — to recline
  16. scale — in music
  17. file — a tool
  18. bark — to shout
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. race — the arms race
  21. face — part of the head
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. file — a document
  24. race — a contest

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