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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. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. scale — size or range
  6. chair — a leader
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. face — to confront
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. rush — hurry
  13. face — part of the head
  14. pitch — completely
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. wind — moving air
  19. safe — a strongbox
  20. scale — in music
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. wind — moving air
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. face — to point toward

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