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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: rash · chest · cue · face · board · rest · straw · race

  1. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. 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. chest — of your body
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. face — to point toward
  5. board — a committee
  6. cue — for pool
  7. race — humankind
  8. chest — of your body
  9. chest — a box
  10. rash — hasty
  11. rest — what's left
  12. race — the arms race
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. cue — a signal
  16. board — to get on
  17. rest — what's left
  18. cue — a hint
  19. rest — a break
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. rash — a series
  22. face — to confront
  23. race — a contest
  24. 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