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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. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. face — to point toward
  3. spell — letters
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. staff — employees
  7. spell — magic
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. face — to confront
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. chair — a leader
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. staff — employees
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. spell — a short time
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. staff — a stick
  22. mine — for digging
  23. face — part of the head
  24. bat — the animal

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