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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: key · lean · roll · face · chair · firm · mug · fine

  1. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. We're on a ________________ here.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  22. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. face — to confront
  3. fine — all right
  4. mug — a cup
  5. roll — on a roll
  6. mug — to rob
  7. face — part of the head
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. face — to point toward
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. firm — steady
  12. lean — thin
  13. firm — decided
  14. chair — a leader
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. lean — to bend
  17. key — for a lock
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. roll — a cake
  20. key — in music
  21. roll — a list
  22. firm — a company
  23. mug — a face
  24. key — the most important part

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