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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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. bear — the animal
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. temple — side of the head
  6. lean — to bend
  7. lean — thin
  8. face — to confront
  9. face — part of the head
  10. face — to point toward
  11. land — a country
  12. bear — the animal
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. rash — a series
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. chair — a leader
  17. land — to come down
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. rock — a stone
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. rash — hasty
  23. land — ground
  24. chair — to sit on

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