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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. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. My mare is ________________ in color.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. pop — to visit
  4. pop — soda
  5. wax — to grow
  6. mate — a friend
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. bay — to keep at bay
  10. face — part of the head
  11. face — to confront
  12. chair — a leader
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. mate — to breed
  15. face — to point toward
  16. bay — a horse colour
  17. mate — a partner
  18. saw — the tool
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. bay — a part of the sea
  23. pop — music
  24. saw — the tool

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