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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. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. drill — a practice
  4. chair — a leader
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. face — part of the head
  7. pop — to visit
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. pop — music
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. deal — to handle
  12. cold — not warm
  13. drill — army training
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. face — to confront
  16. mate — to breed
  17. mate — a partner
  18. cold — an illness
  19. pass — a permit
  20. mate — a friend
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. pop — soda
  23. drill — the tool
  24. deal — a big deal

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