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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. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. My mare is ________________ in color.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. cell — in biology
  3. pit — in a race
  4. hand — in cards
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. face — to confront
  7. pit — a hole
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. chair — a leader
  10. rest — what's left
  11. face — part of the head
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. hand — help
  14. bay — a horse colour
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. saw — the tool
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. rest — what's left
  19. rest — a break
  20. face — to point toward
  21. bay — to keep at bay
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. cell — a phone

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