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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: toast · firm · face · hand · chair · field · wax · bat

  1. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  24. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. field — for sport
  3. firm — decided
  4. hand — help
  5. face — to point toward
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. hand — in cards
  8. field — farmland
  9. firm — a company
  10. field — a subject
  11. firm — steady
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. face — to confront
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. toast — bread
  19. face — part of the head
  20. wax — to grow
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. bat — the animal
  23. toast — the most admired
  24. toast — a drink to someone

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