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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.

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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. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  19. The tickets are free of ________________.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. prune — to trim
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. chair — a leader
  6. land — ground
  7. land — a country
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. prune — to trim
  11. face — to point toward
  12. rock — a stone
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. rock — music
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. charge — electricity
  19. charge — a price
  20. face — part of the head
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. land — to come down
  24. charge — in control

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