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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. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. When will it ________________ you to start?
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  17. My mare is ________________ in color.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — in cards
  2. face — to confront
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. face — part of the head
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. key — for a lock
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. suit — to fit
  12. key — the most important part
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. rule — government
  15. chair — a leader
  16. suit — clothes
  17. bay — a horse colour
  18. face — to point toward
  19. key — in music
  20. bay — to keep at bay
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. fork — in a road
  23. bay — a part of the sea
  24. rule — a law

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