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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: chair · row · cue · safe · face · hand · spell · capital

  1. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  24. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. face — to point toward
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. safe — a strongbox
  5. spell — letters
  6. cue — a hint
  7. spell — a short time
  8. capital — a city
  9. chair — a leader
  10. row — to paddle
  11. row — a line
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. face — to confront
  14. capital — money
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. hand — help
  17. cue — for pool
  18. cue — a signal
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. face — part of the head
  21. hand — in cards
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. safe — out of danger
  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