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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. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  16. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. face — to point toward
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. present — a gift
  6. ruler — a monarch
  7. craft — boats
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. temple — side of the head
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. present — the time now
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. craft — a skill
  18. face — part of the head
  19. wake — a trail
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. bat — the animal
  22. chair — a leader
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. present — there

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