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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. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. bound — certain
  3. mug — a cup
  4. bound — tied together
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. chair — a leader
  10. mug — a face
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. craft — boats
  13. bound — obliged
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. face — to point toward
  18. mug — to rob
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. face — part of the head
  22. craft — a skill
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. wake — a trail

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