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

  1. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. You can't go backstage without a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. pass — to spend time
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. bat — the animal
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. face — to confront
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. tear — to rip
  11. craft — boats
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. pass — to succeed
  14. craft — a skill
  15. face — part of the head
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. tear — from crying
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. tear — from crying
  21. face — to point toward
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. pass — a permit

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