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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: deal · swing · chair · fan · field · content · ball · face

  1. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. deal — to handle
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. field — for sport
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. swing — music
  7. ball — a great time
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. ball — a dance
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. swing — in golf
  14. swing — to play on
  15. chair — a leader
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. field — a subject
  18. face — part of the head
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. field — farmland
  21. content — happy
  22. content — the amount
  23. face — to confront
  24. chair — to sit on

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