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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: suit · foot · chair · race · scale · row · face · wind

  1. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. When will it ________________ you to start?
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. race — a contest
  3. face — part of the head
  4. suit — in cards
  5. face — to point toward
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. scale — size or range
  8. suit — to fit
  9. wind — moving air
  10. race — the arms race
  11. scale — in music
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. race — humankind
  16. chair — a leader
  17. row — to paddle
  18. foot — a measure
  19. suit — clothes
  20. wind — moving air
  21. foot — part of the body
  22. face — to confront
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. foot — the bottom

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