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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. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. cell — in biology
  3. face — to point toward
  4. cap — a lid
  5. can — a tin
  6. hand — in cards
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. can — a tin
  9. wind — moving air
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. cell — a phone
  13. hand — help
  14. can — to be able to
  15. cap — of ice
  16. wind — moving air
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. ball — a great time
  19. cap — a hat
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. face — to confront
  22. ball — a dance
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. face — part of the head

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