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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: court · rock · bowl · face · bay · saw · lie · chest

  1. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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. court — for sport
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. rock — a stone
  6. chest — a box
  7. bay — to keep at bay
  8. court — of a king
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. face — to point toward
  11. chest — of your body
  12. face — to confront
  13. lie — to recline
  14. rock — music
  15. chest — of your body
  16. bay — a part of the sea
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. face — part of the head
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. saw — the tool
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. court — of law
  24. saw — the tool

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