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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: pitcher · key · chair · track · cap · patient · leaves · face

  1. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. cap — a lid
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. cap — a hat
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. face — part of the head
  11. key — for a lock
  12. key — in music
  13. face — to point toward
  14. cap — of ice
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. face — to confront
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. track — a path
  19. track — a song
  20. chair — a leader
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. track — to keep track

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