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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. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. My mare is ________________ in color.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. face — to confront
  4. chair — a leader
  5. face — part of the head
  6. lean — thin
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. face — to point toward
  10. bear — the animal
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. lean — to bend
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. shower — to wash
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. sharp — clever
  19. bay — a horse colour
  20. bear — the animal
  21. shower — rain
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  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