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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. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. face — to point toward
  3. chair — a leader
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. mate — a partner
  6. mate — to breed
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. hand — in cards
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. row — to paddle
  11. mate — a friend
  12. face — to confront
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. firm — decided
  15. row — a line
  16. tear — from crying
  17. hand — help
  18. firm — steady
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. face — part of the head
  23. tear — from crying
  24. firm — a company

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