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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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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: fine · mark · bowl · snap · board · chair · face · cell

  1. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. mark — a grade
  7. face — to point toward
  8. chair — a leader
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. snap — to click
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. board — to get on
  16. face — to confront
  17. fine — high quality
  18. cell — a phone
  19. mark — a trace
  20. fine — all right
  21. face — part of the head
  22. cell — in biology
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. board — a committee

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