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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 116 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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. The tickets are free of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. squash — the sport
  3. ground — the earth
  4. mug — to rob
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. tear — from crying
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. face — part of the head
  9. chair — a leader
  10. tear — to rip
  11. charge — electricity
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. face — to confront
  14. mug — a face
  15. fine — all right
  16. ground — a position
  17. mug — a cup
  18. ground — crushed
  19. tear — from crying
  20. squash — to crush
  21. charge — in control
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. face — to point toward
  24. charge — a price

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