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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. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. My mare is ________________ in color.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. chair — a leader
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. root — of a word
  5. cell — in biology
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. face — part of the head
  8. root — of a plant
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. scale — size or range
  11. scale — in music
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. season — in sport
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. pitch — completely
  16. root — the cause
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. season — of the year
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. face — to confront
  21. face — to point toward
  22. bay — a horse colour
  23. cell — a phone
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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