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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.

Make a worksheet

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: rash · chair · spell · wound · safe · face · kid · hand

  1. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  24. Is it ________________ for us to be here?

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. spell — a short time
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. hand — in cards
  5. rash — a series
  6. kid — child
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. chair — a leader
  9. spell — letters
  10. kid — to tease
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. face — to confront
  14. spell — magic
  15. face — to point toward
  16. hand — help
  17. face — part of the head
  18. wound — an injury
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. rash — hasty
  22. wound — an injury
  23. safe — a strongbox
  24. safe — out of danger

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