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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 116 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. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. staff — employees
  5. face — to point toward
  6. snap — to click
  7. land — ground
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. cap — a hat
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. land — to come down
  13. face — part of the head
  14. rash — a series
  15. cap — a lid
  16. staff — employees
  17. cap — of ice
  18. rash — hasty
  19. land — a country
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. chair — a leader
  23. staff — a stick
  24. face — to confront

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