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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. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. spell — magic
  9. face — part of the head
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. spell — letters
  13. chair — a leader
  14. fine — all right
  15. face — to point toward
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. spell — a short time
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. cell — a phone
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. fine — high quality
  23. wax — to grow
  24. cell — in biology

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