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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: charge · pitch · firm · present · cold · chair · dip · face

  1. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. The tickets are free of ________________.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  22. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. chair — a leader
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. firm — steady
  5. cold — not warm
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. face — to point toward
  8. present — the time now
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. charge — in control
  12. pitch — completely
  13. charge — a price
  14. cold — an illness
  15. dip — to sink
  16. charge — electricity
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. face — to confront
  19. face — part of the head
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. firm — a company
  22. firm — decided
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. present — there

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