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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: chest · ground · saw · drill · lie · mark · kid · face

  1. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. drill — a practice
  3. chest — a box
  4. face — part of the head
  5. ground — a position
  6. chest — of your body
  7. kid — to tease
  8. chest — of your body
  9. ground — crushed
  10. saw — the tool
  11. saw — the tool
  12. kid — child
  13. drill — the tool
  14. mark — a trace
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. drill — army training
  17. mark — a grade
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. face — to point toward
  21. ground — the earth
  22. face — to confront
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. lie — to recline

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