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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 assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  4. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. toast — bread
  4. toast — a drink to someone
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. toast — the most admired
  7. face — to confront
  8. lean — to bend
  9. court — of law
  10. court — for sport
  11. race — the arms race
  12. lean — thin
  13. court — of a king
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. face — part of the head
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. race — humankind
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. fine — high quality
  22. race — a contest
  23. chair — a leader
  24. face — to point toward

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