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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. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. face — to confront
  5. chair — a leader
  6. hand — in cards
  7. pass — to spend time
  8. deal — to handle
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. hand — help
  15. pass — to succeed
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. wake — a trail
  20. face — part of the head
  21. face — to point toward
  22. pass — a permit
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. chair — to sit on

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