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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 120 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: nail · face · chair · safe · wind · rock · last · object

  1. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. He has no idea where the ________________ is.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. object — to protest
  3. wind — moving air
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. face — to point toward
  6. chair — a leader
  7. last — finally
  8. face — to confront
  9. object — an aim
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. face — part of the head
  12. rock — music
  13. last — final
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. last — to go on
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. wind — moving air
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. object — a thing
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. rock — a stone
  24. safe — a strongbox

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