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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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. tear — from crying
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. tear — to rip
  5. face — part of the head
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. root — the cause
  8. tear — from crying
  9. root — of a word
  10. hand — help
  11. face — to point toward
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. rest — what's left
  14. hand — in cards
  15. root — of a plant
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. rest — what's left
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. rest — a break
  20. sharp — clever
  21. chair — a leader
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. face — to confront
  24. hand — part of the body

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