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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
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 · face · rash · board · coach · chip · tear · roll

  1. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. We're on a ________________ here.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. chair — a leader
  3. roll — a list
  4. face — part of the head
  5. chip — to eat
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. tear — from crying
  9. board — to get on
  10. tear — from crying
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. face — to confront
  13. rash — hasty
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. face — to point toward
  18. roll — a cake
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. chip — for betting
  21. board — a committee
  22. roll — on a roll
  23. rash — a series
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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