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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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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: ball · cell · net · lie · band · face · safe · chair

  1. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. net — in sport
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. cell — a phone
  5. safe — a strongbox
  6. chair — a leader
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. ball — a great time
  10. face — to point toward
  11. face — to confront
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. lie — to recline
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. ball — a dance
  16. cell — in biology
  17. net — after costs
  18. band — a music group
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. net — for catching
  22. band — a ring
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. face — part of the head

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