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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 116 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
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: chair · bound · mate · face · prune · cap · cabinet · fine

  1. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. face — to point toward
  3. cap — a hat
  4. bound — obliged
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. face — part of the head
  10. fine — all right
  11. prune — to trim
  12. mate — to breed
  13. face — to confront
  14. prune — to trim
  15. chair — a leader
  16. cap — of ice
  17. bound — tied together
  18. mate — a partner
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. mate — a friend
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. cap — a lid
  24. bound — certain

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