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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: vault · lie · face · rock · wind · track · rash · content

  1. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. lie — to recline
  3. content — happy
  4. content — the amount
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. rash — a series
  7. wind — moving air
  8. vault — a safe
  9. track — to keep track
  10. track — a path
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. face — to confront
  16. face — to point toward
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. track — a song
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. rock — music
  21. rock — a stone
  22. rash — hasty
  23. face — part of the head
  24. wind — moving air

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