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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. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. mug — a cup
  3. mug — a face
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. face — part of the head
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. cap — of ice
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. shower — rain
  12. pop — soda
  13. pop — to visit
  14. pop — music
  15. chair — a leader
  16. cap — a lid
  17. pitch — completely
  18. shower — to wash
  19. face — to point toward
  20. cap — a hat
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. face — to confront
  23. mug — to rob
  24. chair — a professorship

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