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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. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. face — to confront
  3. bear — the animal
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. wind — moving air
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. wind — moving air
  9. swing — to play on
  10. stock — goods
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. track — a path
  14. track — to keep track
  15. spell — letters
  16. swing — music
  17. stock — shares
  18. spell — a short time
  19. face — to point toward
  20. face — part of the head
  21. chair — a leader
  22. track — a song
  23. bear — the animal
  24. swing — in golf

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