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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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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: chair · bound · saw · chip · plane · face · bat · drill

  1. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. plane — in geometry
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. bat — the animal
  5. bound — tied together
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. face — to confront
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. drill — a practice
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. saw — the tool
  12. face — to point toward
  13. drill — army training
  14. chair — a leader
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. chip — for betting
  17. chip — to eat
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. bound — obliged
  20. drill — the tool
  21. saw — the tool
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. plane — a tool
  24. bound — certain

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