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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: face · chip · kid · stem · chair · race · bear · lie

  1. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. face — to point toward
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. bear — the animal
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. chip — for betting
  12. lie — to recline
  13. chip — to eat
  14. chair — a leader
  15. race — the arms race
  16. race — humankind
  17. stem — to come from
  18. kid — to tease
  19. kid — child
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. face — to confront
  22. face — part of the head
  23. bear — the animal
  24. stem — of a plant

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