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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: mark · chair · spell · court · face · bound · chip · fine

  1. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. court — of law
  5. bound — obliged
  6. face — part of the head
  7. face — to point toward
  8. chair — a leader
  9. mark — a trace
  10. court — of a king
  11. spell — magic
  12. court — for sport
  13. face — to confront
  14. fine — all right
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. spell — letters
  18. bound — certain
  19. spell — a short time
  20. chip — for betting
  21. chip — to eat
  22. mark — a grade
  23. fine — high quality
  24. bound — tied together

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