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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 120 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. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a part of the sea
  2. ball — a great time
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. face — to confront
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. bay — to keep at bay
  10. squash — the sport
  11. ball — a dance
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. chair — a leader
  14. face — to point toward
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. stem — to come from
  18. squash — to crush
  19. face — part of the head
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. stem — a stem cell

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