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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
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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: chair · pitcher · lie · nail · field · face · bowl · deal

  1. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. deal — to handle
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. face — to point toward
  6. field — for sport
  7. face — to confront
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. face — part of the head
  14. chair — a leader
  15. field — farmland
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. field — a subject
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. lie — to recline

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