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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: hide · key · bay · face · hand · squash · wind · lie

  1. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. squash — the sport
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. key — for a lock
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. key — in music
  7. face — to confront
  8. bay — to keep at bay
  9. face — to point toward
  10. face — part of the head
  11. bay — a part of the sea
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. hand — help
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. wind — moving air
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. lie — to recline
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. key — the most important part
  23. wind — moving air
  24. hand — in cards

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