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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. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. mate — a friend
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. staff — employees
  6. mate — a partner
  7. chair — a leader
  8. foot — a measure
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. land — a country
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. land — ground
  13. staff — a stick
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. rest — a break
  16. mate — to breed
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. staff — employees
  19. face — part of the head
  20. face — to point toward
  21. rest — what's left
  22. wake — a trail
  23. face — to confront
  24. land — to come down

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