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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. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. My mare is ________________ in color.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. shower — to wash
  3. face — to point toward
  4. net — after costs
  5. cap — a hat
  6. cap — a lid
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. bay — a part of the sea
  11. net — in sport
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. face — part of the head
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. face — to confront
  18. shower — rain
  19. cap — of ice
  20. bay — to keep at bay
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. pitch — completely
  23. net — for catching
  24. bay — a horse colour

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