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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 124 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 dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. face — to confront
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. face — part of the head
  7. face — to point toward
  8. pitch — completely
  9. bear — the animal
  10. spell — letters
  11. ground — crushed
  12. shower — rain
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. ground — a position
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. spell — a short time
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. deal — to handle
  20. spell — magic
  21. bear — the animal
  22. chair — a leader
  23. shower — to wash
  24. ground — the earth

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