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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. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  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. deal — an agreement
  2. face — part of the head
  3. rule — a law
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. can — a tin
  6. face — to confront
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. bore — to tire
  9. lie — to recline
  10. bore — to drill
  11. rule — government
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. bat — the animal
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. face — to point toward
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. can — a tin
  20. can — to be able to
  21. chair — a leader
  22. deal — to handle
  23. lie — an untruth
  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