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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: wave · chair · foot · bat · sharp · pop · scale · face

  1. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. pop — music
  3. sharp — clever
  4. foot — a measure
  5. face — to point toward
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. pop — to visit
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. scale — size or range
  11. chair — a leader
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. bat — the animal
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. scale — in music
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. face — part of the head
  23. pop — soda
  24. face — to confront

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