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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. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. mark — a trace
  3. tear — from crying
  4. pass — to spend time
  5. object — to protest
  6. tear — from crying
  7. tear — to rip
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. bore — to drill
  10. court — of law
  11. object — an aim
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. court — of a king
  14. bore — to tire
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. face — to confront
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. face — part of the head
  19. pass — a permit
  20. face — to point toward
  21. court — for sport
  22. mark — a grade
  23. object — a thing
  24. mark — to pay attention

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