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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. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. face — to confront
  4. fork — in a road
  5. face — to point toward
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. kid — to tease
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. face — part of the head
  15. wake — a trail
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. bound — tied together
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. bound — certain
  20. bound — obliged
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. chair — a leader
  24. fork — to eat with

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