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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. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. wave — of the sea
  3. chair — a leader
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. face — part of the head
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. lie — to recline
  11. bear — the animal
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. face — to point toward
  14. bear — the animal
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. row — to paddle
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. face — to confront
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. row — a line
  24. wave — a sudden rise

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