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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: toast · trunk · fall · season · file · bowl · face · lie

  1. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  19. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. face — to confront
  3. face — part of the head
  4. file — a tool
  5. lie — to recline
  6. fall — to drop
  7. file — a line of people
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. fall — to drop
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. toast — a drink to someone
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. file — a document
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. season — of the year
  18. toast — bread
  19. toast — the most admired
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. face — to point toward
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. fall — the season
  24. season — in sport

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