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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: bound · lash · nail · game · leaves · face · cold · chair

  1. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. bound — certain
  4. cold — an illness
  5. cold — not warm
  6. game — a match
  7. face — to confront
  8. bound — tied together
  9. face — to point toward
  10. face — part of the head
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. bound — obliged
  17. chair — a leader
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. game — wild animals
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. leaves — to go away

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