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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: face · rest · capital · bear · cell · pit

  1. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. pit — a hole
  3. cell — a phone
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. pit — in a race
  6. face — part of the head
  7. bear — the animal
  8. capital — money
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. rest — a break
  12. rest — what's left
  13. cell — in biology
  14. face — to confront
  15. bear — the animal
  16. face — to point toward
  17. capital — a city
  18. bear — to put up with

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