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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 116 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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. 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. can — to be able to
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. court — of law
  4. face — to point toward
  5. can — a tin
  6. stand — to bear
  7. chair — a leader
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. can — a tin
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. court — for sport
  15. face — part of the head
  16. court — of a king
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. 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