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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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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: temple · shower · rest · mate · face · cell · foot · craft

  1. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. foot — the bottom
  4. mate — a partner
  5. rest — what's left
  6. cell — in biology
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. face — to confront
  10. face — to point toward
  11. mate — a friend
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. mate — to breed
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. shower — to wash
  16. rest — a break
  17. rest — what's left
  18. foot — a measure
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. craft — boats
  22. cell — a phone
  23. shower — rain
  24. craft — a skill

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