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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: rule · dip · net · fine · cell · face · lie · nail

  1. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. face — to confront
  3. net — after costs
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. net — for catching
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. fine — high quality
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. face — to point toward
  12. rule — a law
  13. lie — to recline
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. face — part of the head
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. cell — a phone
  20. cell — in biology
  21. rule — government
  22. net — in sport
  23. dip — to sink
  24. dip — a sauce

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