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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: wound · face · chair · roll · season · mine · racket · chip

  1. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. We're on a ________________ here.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. roll — on a roll
  3. season — of the year
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. wound — an injury
  6. season — in sport
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. chip — for betting
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. mine — for digging
  11. chair — a leader
  12. roll — a list
  13. face — part of the head
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. face — to confront
  18. chip — to eat
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. face — to point toward
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. roll — a cake
  24. racket — for tennis

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