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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. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. face — to point toward
  3. prune — to trim
  4. saw — the tool
  5. bear — the animal
  6. chair — a leader
  7. bear — the animal
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. face — part of the head
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. face — to confront
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. prune — to trim
  17. kick — in football
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. saw — the tool
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. prune — the fruit

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