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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: row · net · mate · saw · lie · pop · face · cap

  1. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. pop — to visit
  3. cap — a lid
  4. face — to confront
  5. mate — to breed
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. row — to paddle
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. face — part of the head
  10. mate — a friend
  11. cap — of ice
  12. row — a line
  13. net — for catching
  14. saw — the tool
  15. pop — music
  16. net — in sport
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. net — after costs
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. saw — the tool
  21. mate — a partner
  22. lie — to recline
  23. cap — a hat
  24. pop — soda

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