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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. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. My mare is ________________ in color.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. face — to point toward
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. face — to confront
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. prune — to trim
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. dip — to sink
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. wind — moving air
  13. bay — a horse colour
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. wind — moving air
  16. wound — an injury
  17. face — part of the head
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. wound — an injury
  21. chair — a leader
  22. prune — to trim
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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