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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: chair · ball · row · face · stand · pit · spell · safe

  1. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. safe — a strongbox
  5. stand — to bear
  6. ball — a dance
  7. pit — in a race
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. pit — a hole
  10. spell — magic
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. face — to confront
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. chair — a leader
  15. spell — letters
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. face — part of the head
  19. spell — a short time
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. row — a line
  22. face — to point toward
  23. row — to paddle
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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