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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: hide · wind · stick · foot · ball · chest · face · lie

  1. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. chest — of your body
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. foot — a measure
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. face — to confront
  10. lie — to recline
  11. face — part of the head
  12. wind — moving air
  13. wind — moving air
  14. ball — a dance
  15. face — to point toward
  16. ball — a great time
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. chest — of your body
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. chest — a box

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