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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. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  5. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  6. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. When will it ________________ you to start?
  18. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. roll — a cake
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. jam — a tight spot
  5. jam — to spread on bread
  6. suit — in cards
  7. face — part of the head
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. face — to confront
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. face — to point toward
  14. roll — a list
  15. jam — in traffic
  16. rule — government
  17. suit — to fit
  18. suit — clothes
  19. rule — a law
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. saw — the tool
  22. chair — a leader
  23. sharp — clever
  24. sharp — with an edge

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