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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. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. chair — a leader
  3. face — to point toward
  4. cap — a lid
  5. object — to protest
  6. face — to confront
  7. face — part of the head
  8. bound — certain
  9. row — a line
  10. cap — a hat
  11. bound — obliged
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. cap — of ice
  15. object — a thing
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. plane — a tool
  18. object — an aim
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. row — to paddle
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. branch — a division

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