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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: hand · stand · lie · bay · ground · face · clip · file

  1. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. My mare is ________________ in color.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. ground — a position
  3. lie — to recline
  4. face — to point toward
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. stand — on your feet
  7. file — a document
  8. clip — to cut
  9. bay — to keep at bay
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. hand — help
  12. ground — the earth
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. bay — a horse colour
  15. face — to confront
  16. clip — a video
  17. stand — to bear
  18. hand — in cards
  19. ground — crushed
  20. clip — for paper
  21. file — a line of people
  22. face — part of the head
  23. file — a tool
  24. lie — an untruth

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