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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: rash · face · object · pop · chest · can · bore · pass

  1. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. object — a thing
  3. face — to point toward
  4. bore — to drill
  5. bore — to tire
  6. pass — a permit
  7. pop — soda
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. rash — hasty
  10. can — a tin
  11. object — to protest
  12. pop — to visit
  13. pass — to succeed
  14. rash — a series
  15. face — to confront
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. pop — music
  18. can — to be able to
  19. object — an aim
  20. chest — of your body
  21. chest — a box
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. face — part of the head
  24. can — a tin

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