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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. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. face — to confront
  3. current — happening now
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. spring — the season
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. wax — to grow
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. spring — of water
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. current — electric
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. face — part of the head
  18. ball — a dance
  19. spring — a coil
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. current — of water
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. ball — a great time
  24. face — to point toward

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