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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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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: kid · spring · deal · foot · face · season · dip · chair

  1. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. spring — of water
  4. foot — the bottom
  5. face — part of the head
  6. dip — to sink
  7. season — in sport
  8. kid — to tease
  9. face — to point toward
  10. deal — to handle
  11. spring — a coil
  12. spring — the season
  13. face — to confront
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. season — of the year
  22. foot — a measure
  23. kid — child
  24. dip — to dunk

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