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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 120 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. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. stand — on your feet
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. saw — the tool
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. spring — a coil
  11. spring — of water
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. sharp — clever
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. chair — a leader
  16. stand — to bear
  17. face — to confront
  18. saw — the tool
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. face — to point toward
  21. spring — the season
  22. face — part of the head
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. sharp — exactly

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