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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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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: rock · club · ground · chair · staff · face · ball · wound

  1. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. face — to confront
  3. ground — the earth
  4. ground — crushed
  5. club — a group
  6. staff — a stick
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. rock — music
  9. staff — employees
  10. staff — employees
  11. wound — an injury
  12. ball — a dance
  13. club — for dancing
  14. rock — a stone
  15. wound — an injury
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. face — part of the head
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. chair — a leader
  20. ground — a position
  21. club — for golf
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. ball — a great time
  24. face — to point toward

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