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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. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. face — to point toward
  5. face — to confront
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. chair — a leader
  9. content — happy
  10. saw — the tool
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. foot — a measure
  14. content — the amount
  15. sharp — clever
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. face — part of the head
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. bat — the animal
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. saw — the tool
  24. bat — for baseball

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