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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 120 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. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. march — the month
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. club — a group
  6. chair — a leader
  7. rash — hasty
  8. rash — a series
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. face — part of the head
  11. march — music
  12. prune — to trim
  13. march — the month
  14. prune — to trim
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. club — for dancing
  20. club — for golf
  21. face — to confront
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. mouse — for a computer
  24. kick — in football

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