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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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Word bank
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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. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  12. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. chair — a leader
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. wind — moving air
  7. face — to point toward
  8. kid — to tease
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. bass — the fish
  11. ruler — a monarch
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. wind — moving air
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. face — part of the head
  19. rush — hurry
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. kid — child
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. deal — to handle
  24. bass — low music

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