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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: mine · face · game · chair · mark · ruler · ball · pit

  1. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  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. chair — a leader
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. pit — in a race
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. face — part of the head
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. mine — for digging
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. pit — a hole
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. ball — a dance
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. game — a match
  16. ball — a great time
  17. face — to point toward
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. game — wild animals
  21. mark — a trace
  22. ruler — a monarch
  23. mark — a grade
  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