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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.

Make a worksheet

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: content · chair · wave · face · last · tube · fan · fine

  1. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. last — to go on
  5. content — happy
  6. face — part of the head
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. last — finally
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. last — final
  13. fine — all right
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. fine — high quality
  17. tube — a container
  18. content — the amount
  19. face — to point toward
  20. tube — the underground
  21. face — to confront
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. fine — a penalty

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