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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. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. When was this ________________ built?
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. last — final
  4. pitch — completely
  5. face — to point toward
  6. face — to confront
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. chair — a leader
  9. last — to go on
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. game — a match
  12. face — part of the head
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. game — wild animals
  15. bound — obliged
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. last — finally
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. bound — certain
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. bound — tied together
  23. kid — to tease
  24. temple — a place of worship

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