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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: stick · object · temple · cabinet · lie · ruler · cold · face

  1. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  2. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. When was this ________________ built?
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. object — a thing
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. object — to protest
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. object — an aim
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. cold — not warm
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. cold — an illness
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. face — part of the head
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. face — to point toward
  22. ruler — a monarch
  23. lie — to recline
  24. face — to confront

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