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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. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. shower — rain
  4. face — to point toward
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. face — to confront
  7. lean — to bend
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. chair — a leader
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. row — a line
  13. mark — a grade
  14. shower — to wash
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. game — a match
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. lean — thin
  20. mark — a trace
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. face — part of the head
  24. game — wild animals

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