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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: craft · wave · face · march · game · temple · chest · rash

  1. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  20. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  21. When was this ________________ built?
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. face — to confront
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. game — a match
  6. march — the month
  7. face — to point toward
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. chest — of your body
  12. craft — boats
  13. face — part of the head
  14. rash — a series
  15. march — music
  16. rash — hasty
  17. craft — a skill
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. temple — side of the head
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. chest — a box
  23. march — the month
  24. game — wild animals

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