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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.

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: fork · cabinet · chair · hand · court · hide · staff · face

  1. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. staff — employees
  3. face — to confront
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. fork — in a road
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. court — of a king
  12. staff — employees
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. chair — a leader
  15. hand — in cards
  16. face — to point toward
  17. hand — help
  18. face — part of the head
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. staff — a stick
  22. court — for sport
  23. court — of law
  24. cabinet — ministers

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