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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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Word bank
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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 pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. game — a match
  5. charge — a price
  6. charge — in control
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. key — in music
  9. face — to point toward
  10. rock — a stone
  11. bass — the fish
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. key — the most important part
  16. key — for a lock
  17. chair — a leader
  18. rock — music
  19. bass — low music
  20. face — part of the head
  21. face — to confront
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. charge — electricity
  24. pitcher — a jug

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