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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: chair · straw · kick · field · face · foot · current · fine

  1. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. field — for sport
  5. face — to confront
  6. kick — in football
  7. fine — high quality
  8. face — to point toward
  9. field — a subject
  10. current — electric
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. field — farmland
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. current — of water
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. current — happening now
  20. fine — all right
  21. chair — a leader
  22. face — part of the head
  23. foot — a measure
  24. foot — part of the body

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