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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. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. mate — a friend
  3. mate — to breed
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. rock — a stone
  6. pitch — completely
  7. present — a gift
  8. rock — music
  9. present — there
  10. face — to point toward
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. chair — a leader
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. stem — to come from
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. face — part of the head
  19. mate — a partner
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. present — the time now
  24. rock — to move gently

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