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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.

Make a worksheet

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
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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: saw · face · chair · firm · bowl · ground · court · prune

  1. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. ground — a position
  3. firm — steady
  4. face — to confront
  5. court — for sport
  6. saw — the tool
  7. firm — decided
  8. face — part of the head
  9. firm — a company
  10. court — of a king
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. chair — a leader
  14. ground — the earth
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. saw — the tool
  17. face — to point toward
  18. court — of law
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. prune — to trim
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. ground — crushed
  24. prune — to trim

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