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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: saw · mate · rule · face · lie · rush · chest · object

  1. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — an aim
  2. face — to confront
  3. face — to point toward
  4. rush — hurry
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. saw — the tool
  7. lie — to recline
  8. object — to protest
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. mate — a friend
  11. chest — of your body
  12. mate — a partner
  13. mate — to breed
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. object — a thing
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. rule — a law
  19. saw — the tool
  20. chest — of your body
  21. chest — a box
  22. rule — government
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. face — part of the head

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