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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. When will it ________________ you to start?
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — to fit
  2. face — to point toward
  3. mate — a partner
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. mate — a friend
  6. chair — a leader
  7. scale — size or range
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. face — to confront
  11. scale — in music
  12. suit — in cards
  13. face — part of the head
  14. row — a line
  15. rock — music
  16. rock — a stone
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. mate — to breed
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. suit — clothes
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. row — to paddle
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. bark — to shout

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