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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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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: hand · cap · face · staff · rock · pit · chair · fall

  1. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. rock — a stone
  3. staff — employees
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. fall — to drop
  7. pit — a hole
  8. hand — help
  9. pit — in a race
  10. staff — employees
  11. cap — a hat
  12. rock — music
  13. chair — a leader
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. face — to confront
  16. face — to point toward
  17. cap — of ice
  18. staff — a stick
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. face — part of the head
  21. hand — in cards
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. fall — the season
  24. fall — to drop

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