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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: chair · mate · ground · cap · face · bass · fall · present

  1. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. face — to confront
  3. ground — the earth
  4. fall — to drop
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. fall — to drop
  7. ground — crushed
  8. chair — a leader
  9. present — the time now
  10. mate — to breed
  11. cap — of ice
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. face — to point toward
  14. cap — a lid
  15. cap — a hat
  16. present — a gift
  17. ground — a position
  18. bass — low music
  19. fall — the season
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. present — there
  22. mate — a friend
  23. mate — a partner
  24. bass — the fish

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