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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: lean · pitcher · lie · face · track · last · season · suit

  1. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  13. When will it ________________ you to start?
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. suit — in cards
  5. last — final
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. face — to confront
  8. track — a path
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. season — of the year
  11. face — part of the head
  12. suit — clothes
  13. suit — to fit
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. lean — thin
  16. last — finally
  17. track — to keep track
  18. track — a song
  19. lie — to recline
  20. season — in sport
  21. last — to go on
  22. face — to point toward
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. pitcher — a jug

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