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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. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. face — to confront
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. game — wild animals
  6. land — to come down
  7. mark — a grade
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. mark — a trace
  10. key — for a lock
  11. land — ground
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. face — part of the head
  15. face — to point toward
  16. chair — a leader
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. key — the most important part
  20. land — a country
  21. rush — hurry
  22. game — a match
  23. key — in music
  24. chair — to sit on

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