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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 120 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. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. face — part of the head
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. object — a thing
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. hand — in cards
  8. scale — size or range
  9. face — to confront
  10. season — in sport
  11. season — of the year
  12. rash — hasty
  13. object — an aim
  14. hand — help
  15. object — to protest
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. scale — in music
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. face — to point toward
  22. chair — a leader
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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