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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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  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. wind — moving air
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. wind — moving air
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. bear — the animal
  7. face — to point toward
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. cell — a phone
  10. bat — the animal
  11. face — to confront
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. cell — in biology
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. chair — a leader
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. bear — the animal
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. face — part of the head
  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