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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: cell · face · staff · racket · cold · ruler

  1. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — a monarch
  2. face — to point toward
  3. cell — in biology
  4. staff — employees
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. staff — employees
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. staff — a stick
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. cold — not warm
  12. face — part of the head
  13. cold — an illness
  14. face — to confront
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. cell — a phone

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