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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: bass · cold · fall · bound · fan · temple · chair · face

  1. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. The water is too ________________.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. cold — not warm
  3. face — part of the head
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. bass — low music
  6. fall — to drop
  7. face — to point toward
  8. face — to confront
  9. bound — tied together
  10. chair — a leader
  11. bass — the fish
  12. fall — to drop
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. cold — an illness
  19. fall — the season
  20. bound — certain
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. bound — obliged
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. bass — the instrument

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