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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: bore · cell · pitch · wax · face · hide · foot · chair

  1. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. foot — part of the body
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. face — to point toward
  8. foot — a measure
  9. chair — a leader
  10. bore — to drill
  11. face — to confront
  12. pitch — completely
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. cell — in biology
  15. face — part of the head
  16. bore — to tire
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. wax — to grow
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. cell — a phone
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. chair — to sit on

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