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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. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. firm — a company
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. bulb — for light
  7. face — to point toward
  8. key — the most important part
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. firm — steady
  13. squash — the sport
  14. key — in music
  15. face — to confront
  16. squash — to crush
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. firm — decided
  19. bulb — for light
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. chair — a leader
  22. key — for a lock
  23. wax — to grow
  24. squash — the vegetable

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