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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.

Make a worksheet

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: mate · face · file · fan · chair · sharp · chest · calf

  1. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. chair — a leader
  3. sharp — clever
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. chest — of your body
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. mate — to breed
  14. mate — a friend
  15. file — a line of people
  16. face — part of the head
  17. file — a tool
  18. mate — a partner
  19. chest — of your body
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. face — to confront
  22. chest — a box
  23. file — a document
  24. face — to point toward

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