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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.

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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 · snap · stick · present · wound · chair · mate · safe

  1. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. mate — to breed
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. present — there
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. mate — a friend
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. safe — a strongbox
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. snap — to click
  14. wound — an injury
  15. face — to point toward
  16. chair — a leader
  17. face — part of the head
  18. wound — an injury
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. mate — a partner
  22. present — the time now
  23. present — a gift
  24. face — to confront

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