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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 116 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: face · chair · present · firm · coach · rock · file · cap

  1. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. file — a tool
  3. firm — decided
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. rock — music
  6. rock — a stone
  7. face — part of the head
  8. face — to point toward
  9. present — a gift
  10. cap — a lid
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. firm — steady
  13. cap — a hat
  14. cap — of ice
  15. file — a document
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. present — there
  18. face — to confront
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. firm — a company
  21. chair — a leader
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. file — a line of people

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