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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
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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: cap · chair · bulb · mark · staff · face · squash · field

  1. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. cap — a hat
  3. mark — a grade
  4. bulb — for light
  5. staff — a stick
  6. field — a subject
  7. field — for sport
  8. squash — the sport
  9. chair — a leader
  10. squash — to crush
  11. face — to point toward
  12. bulb — for light
  13. cap — of ice
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. cap — a lid
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. staff — employees
  19. staff — employees
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. face — to confront
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. mark — a trace
  24. field — farmland

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