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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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. When will it ________________ you to start?
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. face — to confront
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. mate — a partner
  6. suit — clothes
  7. fork — in a road
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. field — a subject
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. face — to point toward
  12. field — farmland
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. mate — a friend
  17. pitch — completely
  18. chair — a leader
  19. suit — to fit
  20. face — part of the head
  21. field — for sport
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. mate — to breed
  24. suit — in cards

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