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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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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. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. My mare is ________________ in color.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. face — to point toward
  4. hand — help
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. tear — from crying
  7. hand — in cards
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. tear — from crying
  10. kick — in football
  11. bay — a part of the sea
  12. mate — to breed
  13. tear — to rip
  14. bay — a horse colour
  15. face — to confront
  16. bay — to keep at bay
  17. chair — a leader
  18. saw — the tool
  19. mate — a friend
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. face — part of the head
  23. mate — a partner
  24. saw — the tool

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