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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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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: kid · pit · hand · last · face · cell · mark · lie

  1. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — in a race
  2. cell — a phone
  3. kid — child
  4. lie — to recline
  5. face — part of the head
  6. kid — to tease
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. pit — a hole
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. last — to go on
  11. hand — help
  12. mark — a grade
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. face — to point toward
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. last — final
  19. hand — in cards
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. last — finally
  22. face — to confront
  23. mark — a trace
  24. cell — in biology

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