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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 120 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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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: rest · arm · firm · face · chair · fan · wind · club

  1. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. face — part of the head
  5. rest — what's left
  6. face — to point toward
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. face — to confront
  10. firm — decided
  11. club — a group
  12. firm — steady
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. firm — a company
  16. chair — a leader
  17. rest — a break
  18. club — for dancing
  19. wind — moving air
  20. club — for golf
  21. rest — what's left
  22. wind — moving air
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. fan — a supporter

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