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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. I can't ________________ this cold.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. face — to point toward
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. temple — side of the head
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. tube — the underground
  8. face — to confront
  9. chest — of your body
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. mug — a cup
  12. game — a match
  13. chest — of your body
  14. game — wild animals
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. tube — a container
  17. mug — a face
  18. stand — to bear
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. face — part of the head
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. stand — on your feet
  24. chest — a box

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