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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
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: chair · bore · ball · row · chip · hand · key · face

  1. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. ball — a dance
  3. hand — in cards
  4. key — the most important part
  5. bore — to tire
  6. face — part of the head
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. bore — to drill
  9. key — for a lock
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. chip — to eat
  13. chip — for betting
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. ball — a great time
  16. row — a line
  17. chair — a leader
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. face — to confront
  21. face — to point toward
  22. hand — help
  23. row — to paddle
  24. key — in music

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