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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. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. mug — a face
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. face — part of the head
  5. net — in sport
  6. net — after costs
  7. mug — to rob
  8. face — to confront
  9. field — a subject
  10. wind — moving air
  11. net — for catching
  12. root — of a word
  13. face — to point toward
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. mug — a cup
  17. root — the cause
  18. wind — moving air
  19. deal — to handle
  20. field — for sport
  21. root — of a plant
  22. field — farmland
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. deal — an agreement

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