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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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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. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. branch — a division
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. face — part of the head
  6. face — to confront
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. board — a committee
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. face — to point toward
  13. safe — a strongbox
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. lie — to recline
  16. board — to get on
  17. jam — a tight spot
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. jam — in traffic
  20. cell — a phone
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. jam — to spread on bread
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. cell — in biology

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