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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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. My mare is ________________ in color.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. rush — hurry
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. face — to point toward
  5. face — to confront
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. bay — to keep at bay
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. bay — a horse colour
  11. chair — a leader
  12. face — part of the head
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. spring — of water
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. hand — help
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. spring — a coil
  22. spring — the season
  23. bay — a part of the sea
  24. hand — in cards

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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