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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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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: cell · face · cabinet · cap · chair · row

  1. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. row — to paddle
  3. face — part of the head
  4. face — to point toward
  5. cap — of ice
  6. cell — in biology
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. chair — a leader
  9. cap — a hat
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. cap — a lid
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. row — a line
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. cell — a phone
  18. face — to confront

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