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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. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. wind — moving air
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. spring — a coil
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. spell — magic
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. face — part of the head
  13. face — to point toward
  14. spell — letters
  15. fork — in a road
  16. wind — moving air
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. spell — a short time
  21. face — to confront
  22. spring — of water
  23. chair — a leader
  24. spring — the season

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