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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. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. chair — a leader
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. chest — a box
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. net — for catching
  8. net — in sport
  9. mug — to rob
  10. face — to confront
  11. net — after costs
  12. face — to point toward
  13. chest — of your body
  14. saw — the tool
  15. mark — a trace
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. mark — a grade
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. mug — a cup
  22. saw — the tool
  23. mug — a face
  24. chest — of your body

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