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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. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. My mare is ________________ in color.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. staff — employees
  3. chair — a leader
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. spring — the season
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. staff — a stick
  8. face — to confront
  9. bay — a part of the sea
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. staff — employees
  12. row — a line
  13. bay — a horse colour
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. bay — to keep at bay
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. face — to point toward
  21. row — to paddle
  22. face — part of the head
  23. spring — a coil
  24. spring — of water

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