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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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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 · face · rock · roll · pop · cap · cell · race

  1. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. We're on a ________________ here.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. race — the arms race
  3. cap — of ice
  4. pop — music
  5. rock — music
  6. race — humankind
  7. roll — a cake
  8. rock — a stone
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. pop — soda
  12. roll — on a roll
  13. face — part of the head
  14. roll — a list
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. cap — a hat
  17. cell — in biology
  18. chair — a leader
  19. cell — a phone
  20. race — a contest
  21. pop — to visit
  22. cap — a lid
  23. face — to confront
  24. chair — to sit on

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