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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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: pop · fan · pitch · hide · face · chair · chest · band

  1. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. face — to point toward
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. chair — a leader
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. pop — soda
  8. band — a music group
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. pop — music
  12. face — to confront
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. chest — a box
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. chest — of your body
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. chest — of your body
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. pitch — completely
  22. face — part of the head
  23. band — a ring
  24. fan — a supporter

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