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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. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. face — to point toward
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. current — electric
  5. face — part of the head
  6. fine — high quality
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. cold — not warm
  10. deal — to handle
  11. fine — all right
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. kid — to tease
  16. face — to confront
  17. current — of water
  18. kid — child
  19. track — a path
  20. track — a song
  21. current — happening now
  22. track — to keep track
  23. cold — an illness
  24. chair — a leader

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