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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. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. face — to point toward
  4. wax — to grow
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. bound — certain
  8. mate — to breed
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. chair — a leader
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. wake — a trail
  13. bound — tied together
  14. face — part of the head
  15. bound — obliged
  16. face — to confront
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. net — after costs
  21. mate — a partner
  22. mate — a friend
  23. net — for catching
  24. chair — a professorship

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