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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. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  2. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  3. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. When will it ________________ you to start?
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  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. suit — in cards
  2. wave — a sudden rise
  3. suit — clothes
  4. dip — to sink
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. staff — employees
  7. suit — to fit
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. staff — a stick
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. face — to confront
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. staff — employees
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. face — part of the head
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. chair — a leader
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. face — to point toward
  23. plane — a tool
  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