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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. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. chair — a leader
  5. spell — letters
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. face — to point toward
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. spell — a short time
  13. spell — magic
  14. fork — in a road
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. face — to confront
  18. content — the amount
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. content — happy
  22. face — part of the head
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. arm — part of the body

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