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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. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. object — a thing
  3. object — to protest
  4. chair — a leader
  5. charge — a price
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. charge — electricity
  8. club — for dancing
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. club — for golf
  11. swing — to play on
  12. face — part of the head
  13. object — an aim
  14. cap — of ice
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. cap — a lid
  18. swing — music
  19. swing — in golf
  20. face — to confront
  21. club — a group
  22. charge — in control
  23. cap — a hat
  24. wake — a trail

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