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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. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. When will it ________________ you to start?

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. band — a music group
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. face — part of the head
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. face — to point toward
  9. fine — high quality
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. suit — clothes
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. suit — in cards
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. face — to confront
  19. band — a ring
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. chair — a leader
  24. suit — to fit

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