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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. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. bore — to tire
  3. last — finally
  4. rock — music
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. cap — a hat
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. cap — a lid
  11. face — to point toward
  12. cap — of ice
  13. rock — a stone
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. last — final
  16. face — to confront
  17. sharp — clever
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. last — to go on
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. face — part of the head
  23. bore — to drill
  24. sharp — exactly

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