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

Word bank: leaves · hand · face · chest · fall · pit

  1. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — in a race
  2. face — to confront
  3. chest — a box
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. chest — of your body
  7. pit — a hole
  8. hand — help
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. chest — of your body
  12. fall — to drop
  13. hand — in cards
  14. fall — the season
  15. fall — to drop
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. face — to point toward
  18. face — part of the head

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