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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. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  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. face — to point toward
  2. face — part of the head
  3. game — wild animals
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. march — the month
  6. game — a match
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. face — to confront
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. march — the month
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. saw — the tool
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. saw — the tool
  17. rush — hurry
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. chair — a leader
  21. march — music
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  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