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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. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. stand — to bear
  4. fall — the season
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. stand — for spectators
  7. shower — rain
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. ground — a position
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. shower — to wash
  12. ground — crushed
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. game — a match
  15. game — wild animals
  16. fall — to drop
  17. face — to confront
  18. ground — the earth
  19. chair — a leader
  20. face — part of the head
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. fall — to drop
  24. chair — a professorship

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