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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 120 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: rash · face · bat · present · wound · temple · kid · chair

  1. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. face — to point toward
  3. wound — an injury
  4. face — to confront
  5. present — the time now
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. face — part of the head
  10. kid — to tease
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. rash — a series
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. rash — hasty
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. kid — child
  19. bat — the animal
  20. present — there
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. present — a gift
  24. chair — a leader

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