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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 120 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. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. rule — a law
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. chair — a leader
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. object — an aim
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. pop — to visit
  12. face — to point toward
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. pop — music
  15. face — to confront
  16. object — to protest
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. rule — government
  19. squash — the sport
  20. object — a thing
  21. squash — to crush
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. pop — soda

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