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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: face · ground · content · lie · bore · chest · fan · game

  1. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  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. bore — to tire
  2. lie — to recline
  3. ground — the earth
  4. content — the amount
  5. chest — a box
  6. face — to point toward
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. chest — of your body
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. face — part of the head
  16. ground — crushed
  17. game — a match
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. content — happy
  20. game — wild animals
  21. ground — a position
  22. bore — to drill
  23. chest — of your body
  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