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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: content · face · roll · nail · chair · kid · spring · firm

  1. The ________________ went through the wall.
  2. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. roll — a list
  3. face — part of the head
  4. kid — child
  5. spring — the season
  6. firm — decided
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. spring — a coil
  9. chair — a leader
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. roll — a cake
  12. spring — of water
  13. face — to point toward
  14. content — happy
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. kid — to tease
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. firm — a company
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. face — to confront
  23. content — the amount
  24. firm — steady

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