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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. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. stem — to come from
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. game — wild animals
  8. track — a song
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. face — part of the head
  12. track — to keep track
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. face — to point toward
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. face — to confront
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. game — a match
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. track — a path

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