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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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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 · row · face · toast · club · chair · kid · hide

  1. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. kid — child
  3. toast — bread
  4. club — for dancing
  5. face — part of the head
  6. kid — to tease
  7. row — to paddle
  8. club — a group
  9. face — to point toward
  10. toast — the most admired
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. rest — what's left
  14. chair — a leader
  15. club — for golf
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. face — to confront
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. rest — a break
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. toast — a drink to someone
  23. rest — what's left
  24. row — a line

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