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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. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. face — to confront
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. stand — to bear
  6. chair — a leader
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. key — the most important part
  9. stand — for spectators
  10. key — for a lock
  11. tear — from crying
  12. ball — a dance
  13. key — in music
  14. ball — a great time
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. track — a path
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. tear — to rip
  19. face — to point toward
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. face — part of the head
  22. track — a song
  23. track — to keep track
  24. stand — on your feet

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