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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: object · stock · chair · pass · pit · row · face · field

  1. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. object — to protest
  3. field — farmland
  4. chair — a leader
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. face — to point toward
  7. pit — a hole
  8. object — a thing
  9. pass — a permit
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. stock — goods
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. field — for sport
  17. row — to paddle
  18. face — to confront
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. object — an aim
  21. stock — shares
  22. field — a subject
  23. row — a line
  24. pit — in a race

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