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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. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. club — for golf
  3. last — finally
  4. last — to go on
  5. club — for dancing
  6. face — part of the head
  7. face — to point toward
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. pass — to spend time
  10. fine — all right
  11. root — of a word
  12. pass — a permit
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. root — of a plant
  16. fine — high quality
  17. last — final
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. root — the cause
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. club — a group
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. chair — a leader

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