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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. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. spell — letters
  4. face — part of the head
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. face — to confront
  7. can — to be able to
  8. chair — a leader
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. can — a tin
  11. bear — the animal
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. snap — to click
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. can — a tin
  16. court — of a king
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. face — to point toward
  19. court — of law
  20. spell — a short time
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. bear — the animal
  23. court — for sport
  24. spell — magic

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