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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. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. We're on a ________________ here.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. face — to confront
  3. chair — a leader
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. face — part of the head
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. face — to point toward
  9. key — for a lock
  10. present — there
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. roll — a list
  13. key — in music
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. key — the most important part
  16. present — a gift
  17. roll — a cake
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. spell — letters
  20. spell — a short time
  21. roll — on a roll
  22. dip — to sink
  23. spell — magic
  24. present — the time now

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