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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: rest · saw · chair · safe · face · cap · bound · wake

  1. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. wake — a trail
  3. chair — a leader
  4. face — to point toward
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. cap — of ice
  10. cap — a lid
  11. cap — a hat
  12. rest — a break
  13. rest — what's left
  14. face — part of the head
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. bound — obliged
  17. saw — the tool
  18. bound — certain
  19. saw — the tool
  20. rest — what's left
  21. bound — tied together
  22. face — to confront
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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