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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. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. The tickets are free of ________________.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. bear — the animal
  3. face — to confront
  4. charge — in control
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. chair — a leader
  8. fall — the season
  9. kid — to tease
  10. fork — in a road
  11. lean — thin
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. bear — the animal
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. fall — to drop
  17. fall — to drop
  18. charge — electricity
  19. face — part of the head
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. lean — to bend
  22. face — to point toward
  23. charge — a price
  24. chair — to sit on

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