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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: fall · face · charge · pitch · chair · tear

  1. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. fall — to drop
  3. fall — the season
  4. tear — from crying
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. face — part of the head
  7. tear — to rip
  8. chair — a leader
  9. charge — a price
  10. tear — from crying
  11. face — to confront
  12. charge — in control
  13. pitch — completely
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. fall — to drop
  17. charge — electricity
  18. pitch — a sports field

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