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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 124 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. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. court — of law
  4. squash — to crush
  5. face — to confront
  6. plane — a tool
  7. row — a line
  8. face — to point toward
  9. bear — the animal
  10. march — the month
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. court — for sport
  16. march — the month
  17. court — of a king
  18. face — part of the head
  19. squash — the sport
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. bear — the animal
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. march — music
  24. chair — a leader

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