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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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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: board · face · cabinet · dip · bulb · fall · chair · pitch

  1. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. face — part of the head
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. fall — the season
  5. board — a committee
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. fall — to drop
  8. board — to get on
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. chair — a leader
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. bulb — for light
  14. face — to point toward
  15. dip — to sink
  16. pitch — completely
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. face — to confront
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. fall — to drop
  23. bulb — for light
  24. bulb — 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