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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: court · sharp · march · rock · lie · chest · face · bear

  1. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. lie — to recline
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. chest — of your body
  6. rock — a stone
  7. face — part of the head
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. sharp — clever
  10. court — of law
  11. rock — music
  12. court — of a king
  13. chest — of your body
  14. court — for sport
  15. march — the month
  16. bear — the animal
  17. march — music
  18. march — the month
  19. bear — the animal
  20. chest — a box
  21. face — to confront
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. face — to point toward

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