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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. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. face — to confront
  3. chair — a leader
  4. key — in music
  5. saw — the tool
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. key — for a lock
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. face — part of the head
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. pitch — completely
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. lean — to bend
  19. lean — thin
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. plane — a tool
  23. key — the most important part
  24. face — to point toward

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