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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. bound — obliged
  8. bound — certain
  9. face — to confront
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. face — part of the head
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. bound — tied together
  15. snap — to click
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. rock — a stone
  18. chair — a leader
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. rock — music
  23. wave — with your hand
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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