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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. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. chair — a leader
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. key — the most important part
  5. key — for a lock
  6. cap — a lid
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. face — to point toward
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. face — to confront
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. rush — hurry
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. hand — help
  18. cap — of ice
  19. face — part of the head
  20. hand — in cards
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. key — in music
  23. cap — a hat
  24. chair — a professorship

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