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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. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  3. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  14. When will it ________________ you to start?
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. suit — in cards
  3. jam — to spread on bread
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. jam — a tight spot
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. chair — a leader
  9. suit — clothes
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. wound — an injury
  13. jam — in traffic
  14. suit — to fit
  15. face — to point toward
  16. press — to push
  17. face — part of the head
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. press — newspapers
  20. wound — an injury
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. press — a publisher
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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